While the Montreal Canadiens made headlines by adding sniper Patrik Laine, they’ll head into the 2024-25 season with a roster largely unchanged from last year. However, as with any new campaign, a few familiar faces have moved on to other teams.
To bring you up to speed, here are six players from last season’s Canadiens roster who’ll be suiting up elsewhere this October:
Jesse Ylonen – Tampa Bay Lightning
Selected with the 35th overall pick at the 2018 NHL Draft, forward Jesse Ylonen was never able to find his footing with the Canadiens.
And so, after six years in Montreal, the Finnish-American forward decided it was time for a fresh start and signed a one-year deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning over the offseason.
Sean Monahan – Columbus Blue Jackets
The Canadiens made a bit of a splash ahead of last season’s trade deadline when they traded centre Sean Monahan to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for a first-round pick and a conditional third.
But since Monahan was on an expiring contract, the 29-year-old was free to sign where he pleased this summer, ultimately settling on a five-year, $27.5 million deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Jordan Harris – Columbus Blue Jackets
To acquire Laine (and a second-round pick) from the Blue Jackets, Montreal parted ways with promising young defenseman Jordan Harris.
The 24-year-old now heads to Columbus, where he’s likely to enjoy more ice time in a less crowded defensive corps.
Johnathan Kovacevic – New Jersey Devils
Montreal didn’t make many trades this offseason, but they did ship out depth defenceman Johnathan Kovacevic.
He was sent to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. When the time comes, New Jersey will transfer the best of their three 2026 fourth-round picks to Montreal.
Tanner Pearson – Vegas Golden Knights (PTO)
A year after joining Montreal in a trade for Casey DeSmith, Tanner Pearson remains unsigned.
The 32-year-old forward has been offered a professional tryout (PTO) with the Vegas Golden Knights, where he hopes to prove he still has plenty left to contribute after battling injuries.
Colin White – San Jose Sharks (AHL)
After an uneventful stint with the Canadiens, former first-round pick Colin White will begin the 2024-25 season with the San Jose Sharks’ AHL affiliate.
The 27-year-old, who logged zero points over 17 games with the Habs, hopes a strong season in the minors could reignite his NHL career.