First there was Brendan Gallagher's trade to the Vancouver Canucks on June 29, 2026, to kick off the summer. This was the first time in the Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton era (or the HuGo era, if I may) that a core, long-serving Montreal Canadiens player was moved off the roster. The kind of move you'd expect during a rebuild.
And then there was Jayden Struble getting moved Friday afternoon to the Nashville Predators for a second-round pick in the 2027 NHL Entry Draft. A significant haul for a player who was at risk of falling down the depth chart in Montreal. Martin St-Louis has Lane Hutson, Noah Dobson, Mike Matheson, Alex Carrier, Arber Xhekaj, Adam Engström, Kaiden Guhle, and David Reinbacher available to him. That's eight NHL defencemen when Guhle returns from injury. Reinbacher has been stashed in the AHL, but how long can they keep him down there before he proves he's NHL ready?
Who's next? That's the question that should be on every Habs player's mind on the fringe of game day lineups. And let's just say I'd be surprised if Hughes actually drafted a player with that second-round pick. When larger deals for the likes of Matthew Knies and Kirill Marchenko fell through, it appears he pivoted to turn roster players into consumable assets. That pick is another tool for him to tinker with the lineup. It's only a matter of time.
Gallagher and Struble are just the first dominos to fall as the Canadiens' rebuild continues. Sure, Patrik Laine was a key player for Montreal, miraculously recovering from a career-ending knee injury to score 20 goals in 2024-25. But we all saw the end coming when Marty refused to play him late last season and throughout the Habs' three-round run in the playoffs.
No, the Gallagher and Struble moves feel different. We're talking about guys who are well ingrained in the team's social structure for years. Removing these players has an impact in the locker room and off the ice more so than it does on the ice.
In that respect, the subtractions can be seen as additions. With Gallagher, the door opened up for a younger player to get a chair. Hello, Florian Xhekaj. Struble's move means Arber Xhekaj remains as the team's sixth/seventh defenceman and opens a roster spot for Adam Engström to battle for ice time.
When Guhle returns from injury, we'll probably see some sort of rotation between Xhekaj and Engström. A game of musical chairs best played with two, not three. New injuries are always a risk, and if they come there's Reinbacher looking on from Laval waiting for his shot to ditch the farm's bus for pro team flights.
And who could forget this one?
hockeyfights.comNick Cousins vs Jayden Struble Nov 1, 2025Struble was a warrior for Montreal. A player drafted and developed by the franchise for seven years. That's a hefty investment. He was well liked by teammates, and a team player who never pouted publicly when he found himself in the press box during the regular season and playoffs.
I think Nashville is a great fit for Struble to continue his development. I'm sure he will get a better opportunity there than he would have had if he remained in Montreal.
Thank you, Jayden Struble, for your time in bleu-blanc-rouge! We'll keep an eye on you.