2025-26 Depth Assessment: Right Defencemen

The Habs have only made a couple of moves of note this offseason but both have involved right-shot defencemen.  Following those moves, how does the team shape up at that spot?

NHL

Signed: Alexandre Carrier, Noah Dobson
RFAs: None
UFAs: None

Let’s get the big one out of the way quickly.  In Dobson, the Habs paid two first-round picks plus a solid young winger in Emil Heineman to get him, then made him the highest-paid skater (not player, just skater) in franchise history with an eight-year, $76 million contract.  No pressure.  But there’s a reason Dobson got that contract.  He has shown himself to be a legitimate top-pairing defender at a minimum and when he’s at his best, a legitimate number one blueliner.  Those are very hard to come by, especially for those who shoot right-handed.  This is a long-term significant piece of the puzzle joining the team at the age of 25, fitting right in with the young core of this group.  One of the hardest items to find on the organization-building checklist is now in place for the long haul.

With Justin Barron struggling last season, Montreal ultimately pulled the plug on his development, sending him to Nashville for veteran Alexandre Carrier in a move that ultimately ran counter to what a normal rebuilding team does.  But Carrier came in and was a stabilizer as a player who was defensively sound, could kill penalties, and play 20 minutes a night to take some of the heat off Mike Matheson, Lane Hutson, and Kaiden Guhle.  With Dobson in the mix now, his minutes should dip a bit after logging nearly 21 minutes a night but he’s still going to be leaned on as that defensive stabilizer.  He has two years left on his deal, making him a perfect bridge veteran.

Needs Assessment: Medium – Some might disagree with this but if you’re like me and think the depth on the left side might be thinner by the start of the season, there could be an opportunity to balance things a little better.  David Savard is gone as is Logan Mailloux, one of their recall options, and, as we’ll get to shortly, there’s not a lot in the minors either.  More NHL depth on this side isn’t a must but it’d be nice to have.

AHL

Signed: Nate Clurman, David Reinbacher
RFAs: None
UFAs: None
AHL Contracts: Josh Jacobs, Charles Martin, Wyatte Wylie
AHL Free Agents: None

After battling injuries in his post-draft year, Reinbacher’s second post-draft season didn’t go much better on that front after suffering a knee injury in the first preseason game.  He was able to come back earlier than expected, albeit with a pretty strict load management approach until the playoffs when he was a key piece for Laval.  The upside is clearly present and you could easily see him and Hutson forming a duo with Reinbacher being the more defensive presence of the two.  But after missing so much time, more development with the Rocket would be ideal, especially since he’s only 20 which is young for a defenceman.  He should be another long-term core piece but he still has a fair bit of work to do to get there.

While the Habs weren’t overly active on the opening day of free agency, one player they did add was Nate Clurman.  He has battled some injury trouble over the years but when healthy, the 27-year-old is a reliable defensive defender who should not be counted on to be more than that.  Clurman can fill an important role in Laval on a team that has lost some of its better shutdown options but with just one NHL game under his belt thus far, he’s probably not an ideal recall candidate unless multiple injuries arise.

Jacobs wasn’t quite an every-game player with Laval in the early going last season with the Rocket having to rotate their veterans, an outcome that could very well happen again this year, depending on what else they do over the next couple of months.  But prior to undergoing season-ending knee surgery in mid-January, Jacobs was a solid defensive defender who played with a bit of a physical edge.  It feels like he’s going to be in that sixth/seventh battle once again when everyone’s healthy but he’s going to be a reliable part of their back end.

Wylie was one of Laval’s first AHL contract signings this month.  He spent a lot of last year on the third pairing with Belleville so he’s someone the Rocket should be familiar with.  Like Clurman and Jacobs, he’s more of a defensive player than an offensive threat and projects to be part of a rotation to start the season.  He should be a capable depth piece but that’s about it.  Martin, meanwhile, was a recent signing and has spent most of his career in the ECHL and is likely to be a recallable piece with Trois-Rivieres.

Needs Assessment: Medium – Volume-wise, this isn’t bad.  Ideally, there’s a player or two signed to Laval on an AHL contract that’s in Trois-Rivieres for depth purposes but there’s lots of time for that.  But what the Rocket could really use is another player who is NHL recall-worthy.  Reinbacher will no doubt get his chances but it’s pretty slim pickings beyond that.  Clurman could maybe hold his own on the third pairing short-term while Jacobs hasn’t seen NHL action in five years and would need to be converted to an NHL contract first.  Gustav Lindstrom was a late signing after training camp to be that recall-worthy extra defender and it would be really helpful if they could find another Lindstrom-like addition over the next few months.

Other Prospects

Two years ago, the Habs drafted Bogdan Konyushkov in his third year of eligibility after becoming a 20-minute per game player with KHL Torpedo.  He has remained a minute muncher since then although he’s a little on the smaller side for a defender and doesn’t project to be a big point producer.  However, Konyushkov is a dependable defender in his own end and plays with a calmness and discipline that’s not always there for a younger player (he turns 23 in December).  He has one season left on his contract in Russia and if he’s let out of his contract once his KHL playoffs are over, he could follow Ivan Demidov in being a player who signs with Montreal late in the season and gets a look with the Canadiens.  While I wouldn’t say that outcome is probable, it’s possible that management is viewing Konyushkov as a potential fit on the third pairing late in the year, a role he’s likely to fill regularly in the NHL.

One of Montreal’s older picks from this year’s draft class was Bryce Pickford.  In his original draft year, he had a sparing role with Seattle but a trade to Medicine Hat for last season made him take off as he scored 35 goals between the regular season, playoffs, and Memorial Cup.  That’s not points, that’s goals.  While there’s probably some good fortune in there, he showed enough offensive upside to become an intriguing wild card in Montreal’s system.  His ceiling is probably only a third-pairing player in the NHL as most of his tools beyond his shot range from adequate to average but he’s someone who, at a minimum, should be a key player for Laval for a while starting in 2026-27 with a decent chance to see some NHL action.

Carlos Handel was another of Montreal’s selections last month, going in the sixth round after a decent but quiet first year in the QMJHL.  He’s someone who has the tools to be an impact player but wasn’t able to show them with much consistency, causing him to slip relative to his rankings, several of which had him in the top 100.  He’s a bit raw for a major junior prospect but the profile is one that should be worthy of signing, at least as someone who could play a role for Laval down the stretch.

Somewhat surprisingly, the Habs went with a third right-shot defender last draft in Andrew MacNiel.  He was a frequent scratch with Kitchener last season but should get an opportunity to play a regular role next season with a couple of players moving on.  He has some snarl to his game, an element the Canadiens seem to be prioritizing a bit more with some of their back end selections in recent years but he’s a big wild card at this point as to whether he’ll progress to the point of meriting a contract.

The last two are players who have been on this list for a while and will continue to be here indefinitely since they’re Russians.  Dmitri Kostenko was a third-round pick four years ago and has shown some flashes of offensive upside but enough immaturity in his game that he is largely a write-off at this point, especially since he is mired at the VHL level.  Daniil Sobolev was actually Kostenko’s teammate last season and is largely the exact opposite of a player.  He’s a stat-at-home defender who doesn’t bring much upside beyond that.  A fifth-round pick from that same draft, it seems very unlikely that he’ll ever get a contract from the Habs either.

Needs Assessment: Low – With Dobson and Reinbacher (who probably is close to untouchable at this point) taking up two of the three right-side spots on Montreal’s future back end, there isn’t a big need to necessarily fill.  Konyushkov has a chance to fill that third position as does Pickford which isn’t bad from a depth perspective.  One other NHL-calibre prospect wouldn’t hurt but it’s not a huge need.

2025-26 Depth Assessment: Goalies
2025-26 Depth Assessment: Left Defencemen