The Montreal Canadiens didn’t wait long to make waves at the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. Just hours before the first round began, general manager Kent Hughes swung a blockbuster deal, sending both of Montreal’s first-round picks (16th and 17th overall) along with winger Emil Heineman to the New York Islanders in exchange for defenceman Noah Dobson.

The Montreal Canadiens moved up in the second round of the 2025 NHL Draft on Saturday after a trade with the Carolina Hurricanes.

With the 2025 NHL draft in the books, hockey fans have free agency on July 1 and their respective teams' development camps to hold them over for the next-two-and-a-half months as the NHL enters its dead period until rookie camp starts in early to mid-September.