Konyushkov signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the Canadiens on Friday.
Konyushkov made 67 regular-season appearances in the KHL last year, recording seven goals, 31 assists and eight PIM. He'll be loaned to KHL club Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod for the 2026-27 season.
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Canadiens' Brett Berard: Agrees to one-year deal
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Berard signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Canadiens on Thursday.
Berard had six goals, 22 points and 53 PIM in 41 regular-season appearances with AHL Hartford in 2025-26. He also logged 13 games with the Rangers last season, recording no points, six PIM and 17 hits. Montreal acquired Berard from the Rangers on June 26 in exchange for William Trudeau. The 23-year-old Berard is likely to open the season in the minors.
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Canadiens' Reilly Walsh: Inks one-year deal
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Walsh signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Canadiens on Wednesday.
Walsh had 16 goals and 46 points in 68 regular-season outings with the KHL's Barys Astana in 2025-26. The 27-year-old defenseman logged one year in the KHL after spending most of the previous five campaigns in the AHL, including 2024-25 when he recorded six goals and 32 points in 70 regular-season appearances with Ontario. While Walsh is capable offensively, he'll have a tough time making Montreal's roster out of training camp. Even if he does play for the Canadiens, he's unlikely to receive power-play opportunities for Montreal if Lane Hutson and Noah Dobson are both healthy.
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Canadiens' Jakub Dobes: Secures three-year contract
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Dobes signed a three-year, approximately $16 million contract with Montreal on Thursday.
Dobes made 43 regular-season appearances for the club last year in which he posted a 29-10-4 record, 2.78 GAA and .901 save percentage. The 25-year-old backstop figures to head into the 2026-27 campaign as the No. 1 option, but he will likely face challenges from Jacob Fowler for starts.
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Canadiens' Ethan Samson: Grabs two-way deal
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Samson agreed to terms on a one-year, two-way contract with Montreal on Wednesday.
Samson has yet to appear in an NHL game since being selected by the Flyers in the sixth round of the 2021 NHL Draft. Still, at just 22 years of age, the defenseman has a chance to prove he can handle the big time. He logged 40 AHL games for Syracuse and Lehigh Valley in 2025-26, tallying five goals and 13 assists. He'll need to do better than that to earn a call-up from the Habs.
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Canadiens' Samuel Poulin: Pens two-way contract
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Poulin signed a one-year, two-way contract with Montreal on Wednesday.
After the Penguins selected him with the 21st overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, Poulin has logged a mere 15 games at the NHL level. If the 25-year-old winger does make an appearance for Montreal, it figures to be in a bottom-six role with limited minutes.
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Canadiens' Kaapo Kahkonen: Inks one-year deal
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Kahkonen signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the Canadiens on Wednesday.
Kahkonen spent the entire 2025-26 season with AHL Laval, going 21-9-7 with a 2.73 GAA and .895 save percentage across 38 regular-season appearances. He'll remain in the organization for the 2026-27 campaign but could have to settle for a minor-league role once again.
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Canadiens' Alex Belzile: Re-signs Wednesday
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Belzile signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Canadiens on Wednesday.
Belzile had 29 goals, 62 points and 76 PIM in 66 regular-season appearances with AHL Laval in 2025-26. Although the 34-year-old is a dominant player at the AHL level, he's unlikely to see time in the NHL next season.
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Canadiens' Ivan Demidov: Gets massive payday
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Demidov signed an eight-year, $73 million contract extension with the Canadiens on Wednesday, Chris Johnston of The Athletic reports.
Demidov still has one season remaining on his entry-level contract, so his new deal won't begin until the 2027-28 campaign. The 20-year-old had 19 goals and 62 points in 82 regular-season appearances with Montreal as a rookie in 2025-26. The Canadiens are taking a risk by handing out a massive payday to a player who has just completed his first full NHL campaign, but Demidov has the potential to make that contract look like a huge steal. Montreal similarly locked up Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky to long-term deals, which gives them an amazing young core of forwards who all come with an annual cap hit under $10 million -- Demidov is the only one of that forward group above $8 million. With the cap likely to increase, Montreal's willingness to be aggressive in locking up its young talent could put the franchise in a very strong position.
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Canadiens' Maksymilian Szuber: Traded to Montreal
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Szuber was traded to the Canadiens from the Mammoth on Monday in exchange for Joshua Roy, Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports.
Szuber was recalled by the Mammoth on two occasions last year, but he didn't appear in any NHL games. He made 65 regular-season appearances with AHL Tucson and recorded 11 goals, 16 assists and 67 PIM. He made his NHL debut with a lone appearance during the 2023-24 campaign, and he'll get a change of scenery for the 2026-27 season. However, it seems likely that he'll spend most of his time in the minors.
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Canadiens' Cooper Cleaves: Dartmouth rearguard joins Habs
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Cleaves was the 93rd overall pick by Montreal in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft on Saturday.
The run on overage players continues. Cleaves, who will be 21 years of age next January, took a regular shift for Dartmouth as a freshman this past season. He appeared in 30 games, managing four goals and 10 points. Cleaves' offensive ability is limited, but he's a strong on-puck defender in all three zones. The fact that he committed just one minor penalty last season is remarkable. This is a safe, low-upside selection for the Habs.
Runtso was the 57th overall pick by Montreal in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft on Saturday.
A California native and with a July 2007 birthday, Runtso was eligible for the 2025 NHL Draft and wasn't selected. He made his WHL debut this past season and had a great year, racking up 11 goals and 44 points in 68 games for Victoria. At 6-foot-3 and close to 200 pounds, Runtso earns high marks for both his puck-moving ability and creativity. It's a very intriguing size and skill combination, especially when you take into account how much Runtso has improved in the past calendar year. He's in line for an immediate role upon arriving at Miami-Ohio in the fall.
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Canadiens' Gleb Pugachyov: Big buzzsaw picked 26th at draft
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Pugachyov was the 26th overall pick by Montreal in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft on Friday.
Pugachyov is a big-bodied buzzsaw on ice. He's relentless on the forecheck, loves the wall and isn't afraid to drive the net. And he rattles teeth. Pugachyov's athleticism is off the charts, and like a lot of young players, his hands haven't quite caught up. Will they? Yes, but time will tell if he's more like Yakov Trenin or Tom Wilson. Don't stash him on the Wilson comparator -- Tom didn't become Tom until he turned 30. Pugachyov is signed in Russia until the end of 2027-28, and it'll take a while for him to adjust once he does hit NHL ice. But he'll hit like a train when he does. Watch and wait, unless you're a Habs fan. Then you'll adore the buzzsaw no matter what.
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Canadiens' Brett Berard: Traded to Habs
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Berard was traded to the Canadiens from the Rangers on Friday in exchange for William Trudeau, Pierre LeBrun of TSN reports.
Berard was limited to just 13 NHL games with the Rangers last year, failing to produce a point while generating 10 shots, 17 hits and nine blocks. With the move to Montreal, the 23-year-old winger will at least get a chance at securing a spot on the Opening Night roster during training camp, though he is far from a lock to avoid spending time in the minors.
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Canadiens' Hunter McKown: Off to Montreal
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McKown was traded to the Canadiens from the Blue Jackets on Thursday in exchange for Luke Tuch, Pierre LeBrun of TSN reports.
McKown had nine goals and 16 assists over 63 regular-season games with AHL Cleveland in 2025-26. The center will likely spend most or all of the upcoming campaign in the AHL. He is an unsigned restricted free agent, so Montreal will need to extend McKown a qualifying offer in the coming days to retain his rights or sign him to a new deal.
Canadiens' Patrik Laine: No lingering injury concerns
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Laine (abdomen) told reporters Monday that he was no longer dealing with an injury during the playoffs, Stu Cowan of The Montreal Gazette reports.
Despite Laine reportedly being available around New Year's Day, he continued to sit on injured reserve throughout the remainder of the regular season and into the playoffs. In total, the 28-year-old winger saw action in just five games this year, registering one assist along the way. With an expiring contract, Laine almost certainly will be looking for another team when free agency opens July 1.
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