The Montreal Canadiens, like most NHL teams, would have guessed the middle of August would have been a quiet time on their schedules.
While there is much to do as a player or general manager in the months from September to June, the summer is much less hectic. Of course, July starts off with a bang as free agency frenzy takes over the first few days of the month, but August is always the quietest month of the year on the hockey calendar.
The only exception to that rule is August 15th. On that date each year, players who were drafted out of college hockey and have graduated from their schools will have their NHL rights expire if they are not signed by the team that chose them at the NHL Draft.