Montreal Canadiens overhaul roster with qualifying offers and major trades

Ahead of the June 29 deadline, the Montreal Canadiens submitted qualifying offers to eight of eleven pending players. Forward Zachary Bolduc, Kirby Dach, Brett Berard, Sean Farrell, Jared Davidson and Hunter McKown received offers, as did defensemen Arber Xhekaj and Maksymilian Szuber. Joe Veleno, Gannon Laroque and Jake Chiasson were left without offers and will become unrestricted free agents.

In addition, the Canadiens completed two high‑profile trades. Veteran forward Brendan Gallagher was dealt to the Vancouver Canucks for future considerations, and former prospect Joshua Roy was sent to the Utah Mammoth in exchange for defender Maksymilian Szuber. The moves reflect a strategy to retain key talent while gaining financial flexibility and addressing the team’s depth needs for the upcoming season.