With the offseason officially underway, the Montreal Canadiens appear ready to once again explore the NHL’s free agency market come July.
As the rebuilding team looks to add depth to its roster, they also have the option of bringing back a familiar face who could add experience, skill, and leadership to the lineup.
With that said, here are seven former Canadiens players who could theoretically make a Habs return via free agency this summer:
Max Pacioretty (LW)
2023-24 stats: 47 GP, 4 G, 19, 23 PTS
Last contract: $2 million AAV
Former Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty has spent the bulk of the last three seasons dealing with an injury. But he’s proven to still have gas in the tank with a comeback campaign as a member of the Washington Capitals.
Set to hit the market in July, the 35-year-old’s next contract will likely be his last. And if he’s feeling nostalgic, returning to the team that drafted him back in 2007 could be an option. It probably wouldn’t cost the Habs a whole lot to sign him, either.
However, he didn’t exactly leave on the best terms when he was sent off to Vegas in a 2017 trade.
Sean Monahan (C)
2023-24 stats: 83 GP, 26 G, 33 A, 59 PTS
Last contract: $2 million AAV
Traded to the Winnipeg Jets for a pair of picks ahead of this year’s trade deadline, Sean Monahan resurrected his career during his one-and-a-half-season stint with Montreal.
His leadership and versatility were also valuable to the young Canadiens’ locker room, and his absence was felt in the latter half of Montreal’s season.
If he wants to explore the market once Winnipeg’s postseason wraps, the 29-year-old shouldn’t be surprised to receive a call from Habs GM Kent Hughes.
Tyler Toffoli (RW)
2023-24 stats: 79 GP, 33 G, 22 A, 55 PTS
Last contract: $4.25 million AAV
An important part of Montreal’s epic run to the 2021 Stanley Cup Final, winger Tyler Toffoli’s Canadiens stint was short but memorable.
Since then, the 32-year-old has maintained his scoring touch with stops in Calgary, New Jersey, and Winnipeg. Toffoli hit a career-high in points with the Flames in 2022-23, logging 34 goals and 39 assists in 82 games.
If the Jets, who acquired him for a pair of draft picks at this year’s deadline, decide to let Toffoli go in the offseason for whatever reason, the Habs should not hesitate to give him a second chance.
Mike Hoffman (RW)
2023-24 stats: 66 GP, 10 G, 13 A, 23 PTS
Last contract: $4.5 million AAV
Forward Mike Hoffman last exceeded the 20-goal marker in the 2019-20 season. He did not look great in his two-season tenure with Montreal, and that trend has continued into his time with the San Jose Sharks.
Set to hit the market in July, the veteran sniper will likely be available as a secondary scoring piece on the market.
While that’s a department Montreal is lacking in, it’s unlikely they run another experiment with the 34-year-old.
Joel Edmundson (D)
2023-24 stats: 53 GP, 1 G, 5 A, 6 PTS
Last contract: $3.5 million AAV
Joining the Toronto Maple Leafs for the second half of the year, former Habs alternate captain Joel Edmundson is expected to hit the open market this summer.
With an influx of young defencemen in their lineup, the Canadiens don’t appear to be in the market for someone like Edmundson. However, his veteran presence and on-ice selflessness would be beneficial to just about any team’s bottom pairing.
Tomas Tatar (LW)
2023-24 stats: 70 GP, 9 G, 15 A, 24 PTS
Last contract: $3.5 million AAV
A healthy scratch throughout most of the 2021 playoffs, Tomas Tatar’s departure from Montreal was anticlimactic, to say the least.
In the years that have followed, the 33-year-old has looked decent in stints with the New Jersey Devils, Colorado Avalanche and Seattle Kraken, netting 20 goals and 48 points in 2022-23.
Still, there’s a slim chance we’ll see him in a Habs jersey again.
Max Domi (C)
2023-24 stats: 80 GP, 9 G, 38 A, 47 PTS
Last contract: $3 million AAV
The way things currently stand, it appears that Max Domi could be extending his one-year tenure with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
But if, for whatever reason, the 29-year-old decides to part ways with his childhood team and explore the UFA path instead, he would likely garner interest from multiple teams.
Domi had excellent seasons in Montreal, hitting a career-high 72 points in 2018-19. Despite growing up behind enemy lines, the feisty forward also seemed quite fond of the city.
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