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The Montreal Canadiens completed some important business ahead of their annual golf tournament on Monday at Laval-sur-le-Lac Golf Club. First, the team announced a one-year deal with unrestricted free agent Chris Kreider.
The Anaheim Ducks bought out the 35‑year‑old forward’s contract on Thursday, creating cap flexibility and giving Kreider the chance to return East as he wanted. The deal carries a $2.15 million cap hit, with up to $3.25 million in performance bonuses tied to goals and games played.
It’s safe to assume that Jeff Gorton, President, Hockey Operations, and head coach Martin St. Louis were heavily involved in this deal. Both people know Kreider well from their time with the New York Rangers. Gorton had a management role, and St. Louis was his teammate during his short stint in the Big Apple.
Kreider’s addition is the first significant addition to the roster of the offseason. While the primary need for the Habs was to acquire a second line centre, Kreider is expected to play in the top six and on the second power‑play unit. He has scored 20+ goals for the last eight seasons, and 11 times in the last 12 years.
One Down, One to Go
Meanwhile, the Canadiens signed one of their two remaining restricted free agents, Zachary Bolduc. On Sunday, the parties agreed to a four‑year deal with a $4.2 million cap hit.
Bolduc recorded 30 points in 78 games during his first season with the organization. The 23-year-old primarily had a bottom-six role and second power play unit responsibilities, averaging 13:38 ice time. The Canadiens acquired him from the St. Louis Blues on July 1st, 2025 for Logan Mailloux. In his first full season with the Blues, he scored 19 goals and 36 points in 72 games.
With Bolduc’s contract finalized, Arber Xhekaj remains the only unsigned restricted free agent heading into Monday’s kickoff event at Laval-sur-le-Lac Golf Club.
More Time with Family
On July 8th, Sportsnet initially reported that Trevor Letowski is stepping away from his role as assistant. As a result, this move opened the door for the hiring of Derek Lalonde to join St. Louis’ coaching staff. The club did not formally announce the change, but on Saturday the media met with him in his new role as Player Development Coach.
“It’s a great place to work, which made the decision hard. Every year we evaluate as a family—they never moved to Montreal, and I missed five important years with my two daughters. I felt it was the right time to spend more time with them. I played a long time and went straight into coaching. You can’t buy back time with your family, and that’s ultimately why I made this decision,” Letowski explained the decision.
Letowski informed management of his decision in June, and received full support from Gorton, Kent Hughes, and St. Louis. His new role will require less travel and give him more time to spend at home with his family.
“I’ll have a group of players [prospects] that I’ll lead and go out to see. Technology lets you watch games and do Zoom calls from home, but to build relationships, especially with top prospects, you need to go see them, watch them practice and play, and be a face of the organization to help them understand what it takes to be a pro,” he described the new role.
Prospect Challenge
Finally, the Canadiens rookie camp continued over the weekend in Gatineau for a couple of games in the Prospect Challenge. For both matches, Luke Mittelstadt wore the ‘C’ on his jersey for the captain, with Dilan Bentley and Tyler Thorpe as alternates.
First, Daniel Jacob’s squad lost 3–1 to the Winnipeg Jets prospects on Saturday. The Jets led 3-0 before the Canadiens got on the board with 11:14 remaining in the third period when Alexander Legkov scored a power play goal to cut the lead to two goals.
The Canadiens bounced back on Sunday with a 5-4 shootout win against the Ottawa Senators. The Senators led 3-1 before the Habs scored three consecutive times to take the lead. Ottawa tied it before the end of regulation to force extra time. Parker Trottier scored the game winning goal in shootout for the win. Josh Nadeau recorded a hat trick to lead the way for Montreal. Mittelstadt had an exceptional tournament with three assists on Sunday to end the weekend with four helpers.
Rookie camp wraps up on Tuesday, while main camp begins the next day.
