Montreal Canadiens
Canadiens Pending Free Agents Most Likely To Be Traded

The Montreal Canadiens are seemingly turning the ship around, but that won’t stop GM Kent Hughes from following his plan.
NHL betting odds are still predicting a bottom-five finish for the Canadiens, as they get set to undertake one of the hardest portions of their NHL schedule.
That being said, the emergence of Patrik Laine, Cole Caufield’s continued scoring prowess, Samuel Montembeault seemingly finding his mojo and Nick Suzuki’s continued point-per-game performances have been positive outcomes for the organization so far.
With the core seemingly showing signs of moderate growth, the question then becomes: are the Canadiens going to attempt to sell for the last time come the NHL Trade Deadline.
In speaking to sources across the league, the emphatic answer appears to be yes.
As the Canadiens wait on top prospects like Ivan Demidov and Jacob Fowler to make the jump to North American pro hockey, acquiring key assets that will allow them to bolster their lineup for next season (and beyond) is the goal.
That means the Canadiens will have big decisions to make on their pending free agents like Jake Evans, David Savard, Joel Armia and Christian Dvorak.
Which of the four is most likely to be traded? Let’s unpack it.
Jake Evans: The Montreal Canadiens’ Most Interesting Trade Chip
It’s not that the Montreal Canadiens need to trade Jake Evans, it’s that the stars are aligning for the Habs to maximize a return on a stable, albeit secondary piece in their lineup.
You can, of course, make the case that Evans is in the perfect age group to stay with this core and act as an anchor for the Canadiens; especially considering his penalty-kill ability.
But, on the flip side, the Canadiens have two legitimate prospects that could take on the roles of bottom-six centres as soon as next season in Owen Beck and Oliver Kapanen.
Beck currently leads the Laval Rocket in scoring with 20 points in 23 games as a 20-yar-old rookie, without getting the usage of a Joshua Roy or an Alex Barré-Boulet.
Meanwhile, Kapanen his three goals and 8 points in 9 games in Timra of the SHL; pushing toward being a point-per-game centre in a very defensive league.
Evans, who is on pace for 41 points this season, could be well in his right to ask for a significant raise from his current $1.7M contract; with some circles believing that number could potentially double.
At $3,5M or more on the long term, Evans would become one of the most expensive fourth-line centres in the league; despite being exceptionally strong on the penalty kill.
However, it’s a gamble to pay out for a significant production jump in a contract year.
But on the flip side, Beck and Kapanen are coming, and there’s always a possibility of signing a cheaper alternative in the offseason. So moving Evans for a top-2-round draft pick or a prospect for an area of need could make more sense for the organization.
Ultimately, the better Evans plays, and the more attention he garners across the league, the harder it will be to refuse the offers that will come for him.
David Savard: The Montreal Canadiens’ True Wild Card
The Montreal Canadiens have made it no secret that they’re looking to acquire a top-4, right-shooting defenceman to bolster their defensive unit.
The only one they currently have is on an expiring deal is David Savard and he just turned 34 years old; clearly not fitting within the long-term plans of the organization.
But, the decision is still a difficult one. If Savard can net anything near the package he secured the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2021 (a 1st and a 3rd), it’s hard to believe the Canadiens will pass that up.
But that was 4 years ago, and Savard is not the same defenceman he was back then; still very effective at shot blocking and defending, but has shown the signs of slowing down.
Despite his slight dip in performance, his gritty style, wealth of experience and Stanley Cup pedigree will make him one of the more sought-after defencemen on the market.
There’s nothing stopping the Canadiens from circling back, like they attempted to do with both Brett Kulak (2022) and Sean Monahan (2024), but getting what they can for Savard before his contratc expires is imperative.
The assets could be used to find a long-term solution to some holes in their lineup. Given his age, it’s very likely Savard moves.
Joel Armia: The Darkhorse Trade Candidate
Joel Armia is an interesting case. Put on waivers last season, it looked like he was on his waiver to a contract buy-out, but instead, he worked his way back into the Canadiens’ lineup and ended up finishing the year with 16 goals.
He’s currently on pace for a career year, and his $3.4M cap hit could be absorbed by a team with some cap space that is looking for depth at the last minute before the trade deadline.
The issue is, the Canadiens only have one retention slot left at the moment, and they’d likely get more value using it on Savard. Armia’s return on the market, even as a rental, would likely be a mid-round pick; even with retention.
So, unless the Canadiens can take back some salary, like they did in the Evgeny Dadonov trade of 2023, moving Armia may be difficult.
That is, of course, unless he uses his 4 Nations nomination for Team Finland to increase his value further. Armia has done well internationally for his country, which is the reason he was invited to represent his country in February.
Should he continue to show success in elimination settings, along with his playoff experience, there could be hope in creating a market for him before the March trade deadline.
Christian Dvorak: Well..
The Christian Dvorak experiment was the final nail in former GM Marc Bergevin’s coffin; an unnecessary parting gift that came from the royal mismanagement of the Jesperi Kotkaniemi situation.
His $4.45M cap hit has hung over the Canadiens fiscal structure for the last three years, as he has gone from prospective 2nd-line centre, to 4th line pivot in a matter of 18 months.
Despite his strong efficacy in the faceoff circle, he simply wouldn’t be the type of player a contender would look to spend their precious cap space on; even with 50% retention.
It seems that Dvorak would be kept in Montreal by default, acting as an insurance policy if Jake Evans is moved. It’s expected that he will be allowed to walk right into free agency, and the Montreal Canadiens will look to replace him with some of their aforementioned youth coming in.
*For more NHL betting lines and futures, head over to FanDuel