Story Summary
The Montreal Canadiens have two very different personnel questions attached to their forward group: one concerns keeping Josh Anderson, while the other concerns the reported possibility of acquiring Dylan Larkin from the Detroit Red Wings.
Josh Anderson is entering the final season of the seven-year Canadiens contract he signed in 2020, making him a pending unrestricted free agent. Darren Dreger reported that Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes met Anderson before the season and that the forward wants to remain in Montreal for the long term. Dreger also suggested that extension discussions could begin sooner rather than later, even as Montreal’s stated priority has been the pursuit of another forward.
The separate Larkin situation is more speculative, though the underlying trade request is confirmed. Larkin requested a trade from Detroit during the off-season, but he remains under contract with the Red Wings, with five years left on his eight-year, $69.6 million deal. David Pagnotta said Montreal supporters chanting for Larkin at Bell Centre gave the centre and his family a sense of the market’s intensity, and added that the Canadiens are believed to have a trade offer prepared should Larkin approve a move to Montreal.
There is no confirmation that Detroit and Montreal have completed a deal, that Larkin has selected the Canadiens, or that the clubs are in formal trade negotiations. For now, Montreal’s position is defined by a reported desire to retain Anderson and a reported readiness to act if the Larkin situation moves in its direction.
Key Facts
- Josh Anderson is in the final season of the seven-year contract he signed with Montreal in 2020 and is a pending unrestricted free agent.
- Darren Dreger reported that Anderson met Kent Hughes before the season and wants to stay with the Canadiens long term.
- Dreger said Montreal had been actively trying to acquire a forward, with Anderson extension talks expected to follow.
- Dylan Larkin’s off-season trade request from Detroit has been confirmed, but he remains under contract with the Red Wings.
- Larkin has five years remaining on the eight-year, $69.6 million contract he signed with Detroit in 2023.
- David Pagnotta said Montreal is believed to have an offer ready if Larkin agrees to a trade to the Canadiens; no deal has been confirmed.
IHM Discussion
The Anderson and Larkin threads should not be treated as one transaction, but they do illuminate the same roster question: how Montreal wants to shape its forward group beyond this season.
Anderson’s reported preference to stay offers the Canadiens a relatively clear starting point. It does, however, remove one obvious uncertainty. Montreal would not be trying to persuade Anderson to remain while also determining whether a new agreement is workable.
That distinction matters because Anderson’s pending free-agent status and Larkin’s trade status create different pressures. An Anderson extension would be a bilateral negotiation between the Canadiens and a player who reportedly wants continuity. A Larkin trade would require Detroit’s approval, Larkin’s approval under his no-trade protection, and an acceptable return for a centre who remains signed for five more seasons.
The chant for Larkin is notable as a snapshot of supporter appetite, not as evidence that a trade is close. Pagnotta’s view is that it gave Larkin and his family a taste of Montreal’s atmosphere. That may be part of the public conversation around a possible destination, but it does not establish Larkin’s preference or Detroit’s willingness to complete a deal.
The strongest reportable point is therefore procedural. Montreal may be positioned to move quickly if the necessary conditions are met, but those conditions have not been publicly confirmed. The Canadiens can be interested, prepared and active without a completed transaction being imminent.
Why It Matters
For Montreal, the value of clarity around Anderson is separate from the attraction of Larkin. Retaining Anderson would preserve a known forward relationship while allowing the club to decide whether a longer-term agreement fits its wider plans. Pursuing Larkin, by contrast, would mean addressing a major trade opportunity whose timing and outcome remain outside Montreal’s control.
For Detroit, Larkin is not simply an expiring asset. He is contracted for five more seasons, and any move would have to satisfy the Red Wings’ own assessment of an appropriate return. That makes the reported Montreal offer important only as a possible starting point, not a finish line.
The practical consequence is that neither storyline should be overstated. Anderson’s reported desire to stay does not mean an extension is signed. Larkin’s trade request does not mean he is Montreal-bound.
IHM Market Outlook
Montreal’s reported interest in adding a forward sits alongside Anderson’s approaching unrestricted free agency. Those are compatible files rather than mutually exclusive ones: the club can explore an external addition while determining whether Anderson’s next contract works for both sides.
Larkin represents a different calibre of market case because his contract runs well beyond this season and his no-trade clause gives him a say in any destination. Pagnotta’s report that Montreal has a proposal ready should be read precisely. It suggests preparation, not acceptance by Detroit, approval by Larkin or an agreement between the teams.
Anderson’s camp also has leverage in timing. Reportedly, Ferris is an agent who may take clients near to July 1, while Montreal would prefer not to let the process drift that far. The reported wish to stay provides common ground, but common ground is not a completed contract.
Mini Q&A
Is Josh Anderson a pending unrestricted free agent?
Yes. Anderson is in the final season of his seven-year Canadiens contract and is a pending unrestricted free agent.
Does Josh Anderson want to remain in Montreal?
Darren Dreger reported that Anderson wants to stay with the Canadiens long term, though no extension has been confirmed.
Has Dylan Larkin been traded to Montreal?
No. Larkin requested a trade from Detroit, but he remains under contract with the Red Wings and no Canadiens trade has been confirmed.
Is Montreal believed to have made an offer for Larkin?
David Pagnotta said the Canadiens are believed to have an offer ready if Larkin approves a move to Montreal. That remains a report, not a confirmed agreement.
Coach Mark Comment
A club can manage an internal retention decision and an external trade possibility at the same time, but the hockey work is different. Anderson’s reported wish to remain gives Montreal a basis for a direct conversation about role and term. A Larkin trade, if it ever became actionable, would demand alignment between two clubs and the player. The key discipline is not allowing the excitement around an elite-name link to blur those separate processes.
IHM Final View
Montreal’s immediate picture is one of options rather than outcomes. Josh Anderson reportedly wants a long-term future with the Canadiens, and that gives Kent Hughes a credible opening for extension talks. Dylan Larkin remains a legitimate trade subject after his request from Detroit, but the Canadiens connection is still a reported possibility, not a completed move.
Until there is a signed Anderson extension, a confirmed agreement between Detroit and Montreal, or a public indication from Larkin himself, the correct reading is measured: Montreal may have plans in place, but neither file has reached its conclusion.