Konyushkov’s KHL Extension Should Have Habs Seeking Right-Shot Defensive Depth

Going back to after he was just drafted in 2023, there was some thought that Bogdan Konyushkov could be a late-season addition in Montreal in 2025-26.  Now with a KHL extension in place, that option is no longer on the table and the Habs should be looking for extra right-shot depth on the back end.

Earlier this week, Konyushkov inked a one-year contract extension with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod, one that gives him a 33% raise.  He’s set to make around $378,000 USD this coming season and a little over $500,000 USD in 2026-27.  All things considered, that’s solid money so it’s not entirely surprising that he has decided to stay home another year.  He’s a big-minute defender in the KHL and that’s not going to change anytime soon.

But it takes one of the options the Canadiens had off the table for next season.  While Konyushkov isn’t as well-regarded as, say, Carolina’s Alexander Nikishin who was a late-season signee this spring, he was someone who plausibly could have held his own on the third pairing if injuries arose.  While that would have meant burning a year of his entry-level deal early, getting him into the system and having that extra option might have been worth it.

Now, Montreal’s lack of right-side depth comes back into play.  Yes, Noah Dobson is a big upgrade on David Savard and a full season of Alexandre Carrier helps the cause too.  But beyond that, the only two other right-shot blueliners on an NHL contract right now are top prospect David Reinbacher who should see some games with the Habs this season at least and free agent pickup Nate Clurman who, let’s just say shouldn’t be in the mix for NHL playing time barring some injuries.

Yes, the Habs have some lefties who can move over.  Lane Hutson had some success on his off-side paired with Kaiden Guhle last year.  Guhle had his moments when deployed on the right as well while Jayden Struble also saw a bit of time on his off-side.  It’s good to have some players who can play there in a pinch but there’s a reason coaches prefer balanced pairings in terms of handedness.

So, is this something they should be looking at free agency to add now?  Here’s the fully-exhaustive list of remaining UFA right-shot defenders who played in at least one NHL game last season:

Robert Bortuzzo, Jani Hakanpaa, Travis Hamonic, Erik Johnson, Jan Rutta, David Savard

In there, you have one player who has retired (Savard), two assumed to be retiring (Bortuzzo and Hamonic), plus another one who missed 80 games due to ongoing knee trouble (Hakanpaa).  Nothing against Rutta and Johnson who could be serviceable in the right depth role but they’re probably heading for PTO contracts in the coming weeks and if those are the best options available, that’s not going to be the solution.

This isn’t necessarily something that has to be addressed right away.  If the Guhle-Hutson pairing remains intact to start next season, the other pairs will have that balance.  If Reinbacher is able to crack the roster out of training camp, that balance will be there too.  But the depth is thin beyond that so at a minimum, another right-shot option on an NHL deal in Laval would help.  And when it comes to the NHL roster, getting another player in place by next season’s trade deadline would especially be nice now that the option of getting Konyushkov late in the season or early in the playoffs isn’t happening.  There’s time to find one but the need just got a little bigger.

Meanwhile, Konyushkov has set himself up nicely with his new one-year deal back home.  The contract means that he can’t sign an NHL pact until 2027 at which time he’ll be 24, meaning that he can only sign a one-year, entry-level contract.  Plausibly, he could be a late-season signing in 2026-27, burn the year right away, then become a restricted free agent and sign a one-way agreement months later.  Had Konyushkov signed late this season, he’d have been on a two-year entry-level pact where he’d have been capped with an AHL salary of about one-sixth of what he’ll get in the KHL for 2026-27.  So, he’s in good shape to come over late next season meaning he should be extra insurance at that time.  But for the season to come, he’s off the table and the Habs are back to the drawing board when it comes to looking for more right-shot defensive options.