The Montreal Canadiens will be looking to take another step forward after their excellent 2025-26 season. There is a lot to be optimistic about with the Original Six club, but they should also still be looking to strengthen their roster further. 

When looking at the Canadiens' roster, it is fair to argue that they have three roster needs that they should aim to address, whether that is during this off-season or the season. 

The Canadiens' top need is a second-line center. They have been unable to address it during this off-season, and it is not necessarily surprising when noting that there are not a ton of options available. This may be something that the Habs will need to address during the season, but it is clear that adding a second-line center upgrade would help them tremendously. 

The Canadiens could also use another skilled winger in their middle six. This is something that they have the potential to address this off-season, as there are still some free agents left, like Vladimir Tarasenko and Michael Bunting. However, if the Canadiens want to add a true top-six winger, their best bet would be to do so through the trade market. 

As for the Canadiens' third need, it would be significant for them if they added another top-four right-shot defenseman. The free agent market does not have any right-shot defensemen who fit this description left, so the Habs would need to land one through the trade market.

It will be interesting to see if the Canadiens can end up addressing at least one of these roster needs before the start of the 2026-27 season from here.