A feared defenseman may soon arrive in Montreal
Jacob Trouba is being floated as a potential UFA target for Kent Hughes and the Canadiens this summer, and the fit is messier than it sounds.
The Athletic published its annual free agent matchmaker list on Saturday, pairing Montreal with the 32-year-old right-shot defenseman currently with the Anaheim Ducks.
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On paper, the logic checks out. Montreal leans heavy left on the blue line. Trouba shoots right. He's 6-foot-3, 212 pounds, and physical.
But the numbers from this season tell a more complicated story.
Trouba put up 35 points in 81 games for the Ducks, with 10 goals and a -1 rating while logging heavy minutes on a team that finished 17th overall at 43-33-6.
Then look at the back stretch. Zero points in his last 10. Zero in his last five. A veteran defenseman fading into the spring is not the profile you want on a long-term deal.
Why the contract length matters more than the player
He's wrapping up a seven-year deal that paid $8 million per season. That number is coming way down. The question is how many years he can squeeze out of the market.
A two-year bridge? Sure. That's the kind of bet a contender makes to round out a third pair and add a veteran voice in the locker room.
Anything beyond that and the Canadiens are buying decline at a position where they already have Lane Hutson, Noah Dobson, Kaiden Guhle, and David Reinbacher in the pipeline.
Hughes hasn't built this roster by stacking 30-somethings on the back end. Michael Matheson is the lone exception. Adding a second one with diminishing offensive output feels like a step sideways.
There's also the cap. The ceiling is rising. UFA classes are thin. That cocktail almost always leads to overpayment, and Trouba's camp knows it.
The Ducks have their own decision to make first. John Carlson, also 36 and earning $8 million, is a UFA alongside Trouba. Anaheim isn't bringing both back.
Which means Trouba hits the market with leverage, and Montreal has to decide whether a fading right-shot rental is worth jumping the line for. Hughes has been patient for three years. Why blink now?
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YESTERDAY
MAY 16, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Rasmus Dahlin | 1 | 4 | 5 | |
| Tage Thompson | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| Jack Quinn | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Zach Benson | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jake Evans | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jason Zucker | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Ivan Demidov | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Konsta Helenius | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Zach Metsa | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Arber Xhekaj | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Bowen Byram | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Cole Caufield | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Lane Hutson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Michael Matheson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Ryan McLeod | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Josh Norris | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Mattias Samuelsson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Josh Anderson | - | - | - | |
| Zachary Bolduc | - | - | - | |
| Alexandre Carrier | - | - | - | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||