In a recent article for Bleacher Report, Adam Gretz gave a grade for each NHL team so far this off-season. The Montreal Canadiens received one of the best grades from Gretz, as they got an A-.

Gretz specifically mentioned the Canadiens signing Ivan Demidov and Jakub Dobes to contract extensions as the main reasons why he gave them that grade. It is easy to understand why, as Demidov and Dobes are both coming off strong seasons and have become incredibly important parts of their roster. 

The Canadiens locked up Demidov to an eight-year, $73.2 million contract earlier this month. With it, the young star will have a $9.15 million cap hit starting during the 2027-28 season until the end of the 2034-35 campaign. With this deal, he will also be under contract for the majority of his 20s, which is huge. 

Dobes, on the other hand, was signed to a three-year, $16.05 million contract extension by the Canadiens. It makes sense that the Habs decided to extend him, as he was a major reason for their success in 2025-26. The potential for him to form a strong long-term tandem with Canadiens' young goalie Jacob Fowler is there. 

There is no question that the Canadiens have had a strong off-season. However, if they want to make it even better, they should not be done making moves yet.

One of the Canadiens' biggest needs is a top-six center, specifically for their second line. They would also benefit by bringing in another winger to solidify their top six.

While addressing both of these needs before the season would be challenging at this point in the summer, it would not be surprising if they brought in an upgrade at least at one of their positions. If they did, it would immediately make the Canadiens' good off-season even better.