Canadiens Draft Eve Notebook: Trade Targets, Pick No. 28 and the Latest Buzz
With the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft set for Friday night, the Montreal Canadiens remain one of the league’s most intriguing teams to watch. General manager Kent Hughes has made it clear that improving the roster is the priority, and league sources indicate trade discussions have continued to ramp up as the draft approaches. Whether it’s adding a top-six forward, addressing the long-term situation at centre, or exploring ways to maximize their draft capital, Montreal has been active on multiple fronts.
While nothing appears imminent, the Canadiens continue to gauge the market on several notable names, all while preparing for the possibility of standing pat and making their selection at 28th overall. From the latest on Mason McTavish and Matthew Knies to potential draft targets if Montreal keeps its pick, here’s what we’re hearing less than 24 hours before the first round gets underway.
McTavish Interest, But..
Mason McTavish is a player to watch on the trade front. As one of the only few available centres without trade protection, McTavish naturally has a long list of interested teams.
Montreal is among that list, which also includes the Flyers, Wild, Senators, and more. Montreal has mentioned that they would be willing to pay a high price for a player they feel is a great fit, but McTavish comes with a certain level of risk.
“Verbeek is holding firm on the high price point for Mason McTavish,” said the NHL source. “I don’t think the Canadiens want to get into the game of overpaying for him. He’d be a good fit, but the price needs to be reasonable.”
Although McTavish would instantly offer the Canadiens a stopgap second-line centre while waiting for Michael Hage to make the jump to the NHL in the spring of 2027, the $7M and the drop off in his scoring doesn’t have the Canadiens jumping to meet Pat Verbeek’s high price.
It all feels rather reminiscent of the Trevor Zegras negotiations from a few years ago, but with a little more of a twist. With Anaheim set to lose most of their veterans on the right side of their defence, Verbeek will look to plug those holes, either with a McTavish trade or other.
There’s also the concern at centre, as all of their pivots are currently left-handed, outside of 2025 10th overall pick, Roger McQueen, who is not yet ready for top-9 duty.
“Verbeek is looking for pieces that will fit in his lineup immediately,” continued the source. “They are not looking to take a step back at all. They want to build on last season’s success.”
Teams continue to monitor the situation in hope that the price comes down if another centre is moved elsewhere.
Matthew Knies Unlikely
The Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs making a trade sounds crazy to most. But after the noise of a potential failed trade between both teams over Matthew Knies, his name popping up in trade discussions would naturally have the Canadiens interested.
The problem, it seems, is that the Toronto Maple Leafs don’t really want to open themselves up to the Pandora’s Box of negative optics in trading Knies to Montreal.
“The Canadiens would love to could circle back in a serious way on Matthew Knies, but the Leafs and Chayka would likely avoid the media storm that would come from that,” said an Eastern Conference source. “Buffalo and San Jose are some teams that have had real conversations, and the Leafs are looking for a team to overpay.”
And that’s exactly what it’ll take to get Knies out of Toronto, an overpay. For teams like Buffalo and San Jose to be considering this would likely involve top-10 picks, something the Canadiens do not have.
To even consider it worthwhile to move Knies to Montreal, Michael Hage would have to be involved, and that would be taking one step forward and potentially two steps back for the organization.
“Overpaying with Montreal starts with Michael Hage, but then who will play centre in the future and what assets will you have to pay for that acquisition? Tough spot,” added the source.
If the Canadiens do truly shift their attention away from a centre and look to make a big play for a winger, they’d probably have better luck with a Kirill Marchenko than a Matthew Knies at this point.
And the Columbus Blue Jackets are in no hurry to move Marchenko either, who is eligible to sign an extension as of July 1 as a pending RFA with arbitration rights.
What if They Keep the Pick?
In the event that the Montreal Canadiens don’t complete a major trade to improve their lineup before the draft, there will still be some interesting options with the 28th pick.
Gleb Pugachyov is a player to keep an eye on. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound right-winger flew a little under the radar this season but impressed enough to start getting 1st-round consideration after a good showing for the Novgorod Torpedo in the KHL.
Sources indicate he was interviewed by the Canadiens at the Gold Star camp earlier this week and brings that blend of physicality and skill.
Maddox Dagenais is another very interesting specimen at 6-foot-4 and 196 pounds. The Montreal native absolutely took off in the 2nd half of the season for the Quebec Remparts.
He finished the year with a very respectable 30 goals and 62 points in 62 games, but his pace in the second half of the season was closer to a 1.5 points per game. Part of that has a lot to do with a change in his style of play, adapting a more physical checking element to his already filled toolbox.
If available at 28th overall, he too will be someone to look at.
Lastly, and unsurprisingly, sources have indicated that the Montreal Canadiens have also looked into the price for trading up in the draft.
There is a possibility of some of the high-tier players sliding, not unlike Michael Hage in 2024, and the Canadiens were said to be looking at what that kind of acquisition cost would be, especially with so many teams owning multiple first-round picks.
And lastly, as the Canadiens get into Day 2 of the NHL Draft, one name to keep in mind is Chicoutimi’s 6-foot-3, 203-pound centre, Liam Lefebvre.
The 19-year-old QMJHL rookie put up a fantastic performance in the QMJHL this season, registering 32 goals and 59 points in 59 games. The Montreal native made the jump from prep school to the QMJHL this year and significantly improved as the season went on.
In the same vein as other picks like Bryce Pickford, who was picked in the 3rd round of the 2025 draft as a 19-year-old, Lefebvre could be an interesting gamble at 61st overall, if he is still on the board.
Exciting times ahead!