I want to discuss an interesting piece that, on the surface, has little/nothing to do with the Chicago Blackhawks — but it might. Marco D’Amico at RG Media wrote about the Montreal Canadiens looking to make more moves to improve their roster before the coming season begins. One hurdle: they still have Carey Price on their books with a $10.5M cap hit. Granted, that will be on LTIR once the regular season begins, but that doesn’t necessarily help them in the immediate.
Importantly, D’Amico points out Price is due a $5.5M signing bonus on Sept. 1 and his actual salary is only $2M for the coming season — the final year of his enormous contract. Insurance will pay 60 percent of that $2M, so the actual cash going out the door for an acquiring team is minimal, but the cap space absorbed would be significant.
Here’s the line from the piece that got my antenna up:
“That is an extremely attractive and cheap endeavor for a team close to the salary cap floor that knows it will unload major salary throughout the season.”
Enter the Chicago Blackhawks, who — as I have pointed out frequently — have a lot of players in the final seasons of their respective deals. And some of the veterans who might not return after the 2025-26 season — Jason Dickinson, Connor Murphy, Ilya Mikheyev, Sam Lafferty, Nick Foligno — could all be intriguing trade chips for the Blackhawks before the 2026 trade deadline.
Ironically, the Blackhawks already added the dead cap hit for Shea Weber at the deadline this past season. Weber and Price led the Habs to the 2021 Stanley Cup Final, and then both of their bodies fell apart and their careers effectively ended. The reason the Hawks acquired Weber’s paper is to help them get to the floor without having to add bodies.
The same theory could be in play with a potential deal for Price’s contract before training camp starts. Especially if the Blackhawks’ front office is heading into the coming season knowing they might be in a place where moving veterans out to make room on the NHL roster for the next generation is good business. Acquiring assets for players who are leaving is just that — good business. And the Blackhawks could have some attractive players to move at the end of February.
What could a Blackhawks-Canadiens trade look like?
According to D’Amico, the “untouchable” prospects in the Montreal system right now are forward Michael Hage and defenseman David Reinbacher. With that being said, the Habs have been very aggressive in recent months to push their roster into position to make a deeper run in the playoffs.
Montreal traded both of their first-round picks in the 2025 NHL Draft — Nos. 16 and 17 overall — and forward Emil Heineman to the New York Islanders for defenseman Noah Dobson this summer. The Habs then signed Dobson to a big-ticket contract.
The Canadiens also traded defenseman Logan Mailloux to the St. Louis Blues for forward Zack Bolduc.
The Habs want to improve their NHL roster, but they don’t have the cap space to do much right now. But they do have draft capital and some other prospects who might be intriguing.
If the Canadiens aren’t willing to include Hage or Reinbacher, and Montreal is among the teams not thrilled at the prospect of trading their first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft (which is supposed to be good and deep), what could a trade between the Blackhawks and Canadiens look like?
The top forward prospect names in the Montreal pipeline who might be in play would be Joshua Roy and Owen Beck. They’re both young and could have some upside. Whether the Blackhawks view either of them as an improvement over the players who are coming in the Blackhawks’ pipeline is a question, however. And, assuming Reinbacher is indeed off the table, there isn’t a defenseman who is likely available in the Montreal system who does anything for me compared to what the Blackhawks have in their pipeline already.
The Canadiens are in an interesting position in net. Right now, their backup is Kaapo Kahkonen — who is not good. There’s a chance the Blackhawks could move out Laurent Brossoit‘s contract in a deal here and he could, if healthy, prove to be an upgrade for Montreal behind Sam Montembeault. And, again, if a deal here wouldn’t be consummated until September, that’s enough time for Brossoit to pass a physical and show that he’s potentially ready to play.
If the Canadiens are looking to improve their NHL roster in the process, the Blackhawks and Habs may have a conversation about potentially including Lukas Reichel in a deal. We’ve talked plenty about Reichel being a potential change of scenery candidate before the coming season begins, and the Blackhawks already found a new home for Kirby Dach in Montreal. Including Reichel could also make the assets attached to Price’s contract improve… dare I say, the price would go up?
So how about this potential trade package after Price gets his signing bonus on Sept. 1:
Blackhawks receive: Carey Price’s contract ($10.5M cap hit)Montreal’s 2026 first-round pickMontreal’s 2027 first-round pick Canadiens receive: Laurent BrossoitLukas ReichelChicago’s 2026 second-round pickToronto’s 2026 second-round pickVancouver’s 2027 second-round pickThe Blackhawks would add two more premium assets, giving them three picks in the first round in 2026 — enough ammo to do something significant. It would add a second pick in the first round in the 2027 NHL Draft to their pipeline as well. If you’re concerned about the Blackhawks’ cap situation if they’re able to add an important piece during the season, remember that both Price and Weber can be moved to LTIR if necessary.
The Canadiens would acquire a potential upgrade as a backup in net, a fast, young forward who may have a ceiling that’s still higher than we’ve seen, and enough draft capital that they could still be active trying to move up in each of the next two drafts. Importantly for Montreal: both Reichel and Broissoit have expiring contracts, giving them future flexibility as well (Reichel will be an RFA in 2026).
“I wouldn’t be surprised if the Habs have another move planned after moving Price.” Sources indicate the Canadiens continue to monitor the trade market, but with certain conditions. via @mndamico t.co/UOE9p0bhlz
— RG (@TheRGMedia) August 12, 2025Hence then, the article about could the blackhawks and canadiens make a deal before training camp was published today ( ) and is available on Bleacher Nation ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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