The Montreal Canadiens benefit from two things heading into July 1st. Firstly, they’re one of few teams with a decent amount of cap space who hasn’t been severely cornered by the small $2 million ceiling boost. The restricted free agents they do have to sign won’t cost too much, even Artturi Lehkonen and Joel Armia who Marc Bergevin can likely get on affordable contracts.
They’re also a team on the rise who are one or two pieces away from being a stabilizing force in the NHL. As good as the Montreal Canadiens are, they still find themselves relying on Carey Price too often than not and those games where they can’t score makes it even worse.