Potential Canadiens Trades Following Dobson Blockbuster

The Montreal Canadiens immediately and significantly improved their lineup by trading for defenceman Noah Dobson.

And while the trade should ensure an uptick in results, the fact that he signed an eight-year contract extension that carries a $9.5 million annual average value does change the economic landscape in Montreal.

The issue is not that Dobson is overpaid.

In fact, I’d argue that’s essentially the going rate for top-pairing defencemen today, but it may end up being great value in the near future as the salary cap continues to rise. On that note, we have to consider phenom Lane Hutson is also scheduled for a massive raise, which means the team may have to move a few contracts to ensure enough financial manoeuvrability in the next few seasons.

Bienvenue à Montréal, Noah Dobson#GoHabsGo

pic.twitter.com/jMixt94056

— The Habitant (@the_habitant) June 27, 2025

Potential Montreal Canadiens Trades

Now that Dobson has joined the fold, the salary-cap situation has become a little more complicated. As it stands, Montreal has less than $100,000 in cap space, though it’s important to note teams are allowed to go up to 10% over the salary cup in the summer.

The current calculation does not include placing Carey Price’s contract on the long-term injured reserve, which means they could unlock more than $10 million in cap space whenever necessary.

That being said, expect them to move Price’s contract if they find a suitor looking to reach the salary-cap floor, as it would allow the Canadiens more flexibility than dealing with the long-term injured reserve conditions.  Simply put, LTIR funds do not accrue throughout the season, whereas regular cap space does.

ON TOPIC: Trading Carey Price’s Contract Would Help The Montreal Canadiens 

Beyond the obvious advantage of moving Price’s contract, there are a few other names that standout as potential trade targets.

Veteran Mike Matheson is at the top of that list, especially since the top four has suddenly become very crowded, with Dobson, Hutson, Alexandre Carrier, and Kaiden Guhle representing the obvious choices to fill out the pairings.

Montreal also needs to improve their centre depth, connoting that their cap space may not be sufficient should they attempt to solve the issue in free agency.

Matheson is on the last year of his contract which carries a very reasonable cap hit, and he produces more than the vast majority of NHL defencemen. The defencemen who do manage to produce more than Matheson usually make about twice his yearly salary, which means there should be plenty of suitors if the Canadiens do make him available for a trade.

Beyond Matheson, there’s also the possibility the Habs may want to liberate more funds by moving a veteran, a player like Josh Anderson or Brendan Gallagher, but their contracts would be a little more difficult to trade, as they’re both on the wrong side of 30 years old, and were given modified no-trade clauses by the former Canadiens general manager.