Who do you think will get Brendan Gallagher’s “A” as assistant captain? I know Josh Anderson wore it during the playoffs, but might the team opt to give it to a young veteran (Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, Lane Hutson, etc.) who presumably will be part of the leadership group for the next few years?
Paul Starke
That’s a great question.
Anderson did indeed wear the “A” during the playoffs and is a leader on and off the ice for the Canadiens. But the 32-year-old is heading into the final year of his contract and there’s a good chance it will be his last season with the Canadiens.
With that in mind, I think it would be a smart move to give the “A” to one of the younger players and allow him to grow into the leadership role with help from captain Nick Suzuki, assistant captain Mike Matheson and Anderson.
Hutson would be my pick. He is entering the first year of his eight-year, US$70.8-million contract and will turn 23 on Feb. 14. Suzuki was 23 when the Canadiens made him the youngest captain in franchise history four years ago and that decision has worked out very well.
Suzuki, Matheson and Hutson are all quiet leaders, so if management decides they want someone who is more vocal to wear the second “A” Caufield could definitely fill that role.
Why hasn’t this unicorn Arber Xhekaj been signed yet? Unless he’s a significant part of a trade for a potential star player, we all know what Xhekaj can deliver. Of course, the optimism is he’ll continue to develop into a Zdeno Chara-type and, realistically, he won’t. I would keep him over Jayden Struble and Adam Engstrom and maybe even David Reinbacher, as the Canadiens play more confidently, and arguably better, with Xhekaj in the lineup.
John Henkelman
I believe there are a combination of reasons on both sides why Xhekaj remains an unsigned restricted free agent. Xhekaj’s agent, Brian Bartlett, had no comment when I contacted him recently about Xhekaj’s contract situation.
There’s no doubt other teams will have interest in Xhekaj and he could be part of a package deal as Canadiens GM Kent Hughes looks to add a top-six forward and possibly an experienced right-shot defenceman to the lineup. On Xhekaj’s side, he wants to play and not end up being the seventh or eighth defenceman on the Canadiens.
At this point in his career and with the depth the Canadiens have on the blue line, I think a fresh start with a new team would be the best thing for Xhekaj at age 25.
I don’t think anyone expects Xhekaj to become Zdeno Chara, who entered the Hockey Hall of Fame last season. But I think Xhekaj can be a solid third-pairing defenceman in the NHL.
It just might not be with the Canadiens.
Rocket defenceman David Reinbacher takes a shot during a practice in Laval on May 27, 2025. John Mahoney / Montreal Gazette
What are we going to do with all these defencemen? Will Adam Engstrom and David Reinbacher remain in Laval? Will Jayden Struble and Arber Xhekaj sit and wait for injuries?
Angst on X — @Angst79799255
Having so much depth on defence is a nice luxury for the Canadiens. Remember when 19-year-old rookie Victor Mete was considered the best option to play with Shea Weber on the first pairing to start the 2017-18 season?
I think the Canadiens are going to give Reinbacher every opportunity to make the team out of training camp as the right-shot partner for Hutson. While Engstrom shoots left, he’s comfortable playing on the right side and could be the second option if Reinbacher doesn’t have a good camp and if Hughes doesn’t acquire another right-shot defenceman.
Struble and Xhekaj will probably have to wait to see how things play out before knowing where they stand.
There’s a saying in the NHL that you can never have too many defencemen and that’s true.
It will be very interesting to see how all this plays out before the Canadiens open the season on Sept. 29 in Toronto against the Maple Leafs.
Which player addresses the biggest need for the Canadiens, centre Dylan Larkin or winger Kirill Marchenko?
Kyle Gluska (Manitoba Habs fan)
Larkin would address the Canadiens’ biggest need since there is always a premium on centres. Larkin has scored at least 30 goals in each of the last five seasons with the Detroit Red Wings and having him and Suzuki as the top two centres would make the Canadiens serious Stanley Cup contenders. Larkin also has good size at 6-foot-1 and 204 pounds, but would the 30-year-old American who has five more seasons on his contract with an annual salary-cap hit of US$8.7 million want to play in a Canadian market with high taxes after saying he wants out of Detroit?
The 6-foot-3, 201-pound Marchenko, who is 26, would also fit well with the Canadiens as a second-line winger to play with fellow Russian Ivan Demidov and seems like a more likely candidate to end up in Montreal. Marchenko, who had 27-40-67 totals in 76 games last season with the Columbus Blue Jackets, is heading into the final year of his contract with a US$3.85 million cap hit and can become a restricted free agent next summer.
Do you, personally, give up Michael Hage in a package for Kirill Marchenko? Of course, taking into consideration that Marchenko is unlikely to displace Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky or Ivan Demidov off the No. 1 power-play unit and the Habs’ need for quality centres?
JD Lagrange
I would, considering there’s still no guarantee Hage can become a second-line centre in the NHL and Marchenko is already a proven commodity.
The Canadiens have reached a point in their rebuild where there is more of a focus on the present than the future and Marchenko already has four years of NHL experience.
As for the power play, only six of Marchenko’s 27 goals came on the power play last season. He did have 17 of his 40 assists on the power play. Marchenko could definitely improve the Canadiens’ second power-play unit.
Editor’s Picks
All I’ve heard about for a number of months is how good Alexander Zharovsky is, how he was the steal of the 2025 NHL Draft at No. 34 overall … and also how good Michael Hage is projected to be. I know the Habs have needs, but there were players in the playoffs last season that clearly didn’t perform and, in my opinion, contributed to their exit. So is it wise to be looking at trading one or both of these guys?
Anthony Hoy, Edmonton
As noted above, the Canadiens’ focus is more on the present than the future after advancing to the Eastern Conference final last season.
You have to give up something to get something and other teams looking for young, talented prospects in a trade would definitely be interested in Hage and/or Zharovsky.
The Canadiens are in a good position with so many talented prospects that other teams would be interested in. It gives Hughes many options when it comes to making trades. It also means he will have to make some difficult decisions.
That’s why GMs get paid the big bucks.
How is Bryce Pickford’s recovery going?
MHABMAN on X — @Imhabman10
I was hoping to see Pickford in action at the Canadiens’ development camp in early July. The Canadiens included his name on the players expected to take part after he was named the CHL’s top defenceman, posting 45-38-83 totals in 55 games last season, along with a plus-55 differential with the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers.
But on the first day of rookie camp, the Canadiens said that Pickford required shoulder surgery and wouldn’t take part in the camp. Pickford was not among the 23 players — including seven defencemen — announced Friday to take part in the Canadiens’ rookie camp, which opens Thursday in Brossard as he continues to recover from the surgery.
Hopefully, the team will provide an update on his condition when the rookie camp opens.
The Canadiens selected the 6-foot-1, 186-pound Pickford, who shoots right, in the third round (81st overall) of the 2025 NHL Draft.
If you have a question you’d like to ask for the weekly Habs Mailbag, you can email it to montrealcanadiens@postmedia.com
I grew up dreaming of being an NHL defenceman or an MLB pitcher, but that didn’t happen. Fortunately, I was able to find another path to work in sports and have been part of The Gazette sports department since the early 1980s, including a 12-year stint as sports editor before becoming sports columnist in 2015. It’s a great job and I’m a lucky guy.
scowan@postmedia.com