Alex Belzile, Kaapo Kahkonen re-sign with Canadiens on one-year contracts
Forward Alex Belzile and goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen have signed one-year contracts to remain with the Montreal Canadiens organization.
The deal is two-way, with an NHL cap hit of $850,000.
Les Canadiens s'entendent sur les termes de contrats d’une saison avec l’attaquant Alex Belzile et le gardien Kaapo Kahkonen. The Canadiens have agreed to terms on one-year contracts with forward Alex Belzile and goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen. #GoHabsGo
Belzile has been a strong AHLer throughout his pro career. An assistant captain with the Laval Rocket this past year, Belzile had 29 goals and 62 points, marking the best production of his career. He has registered at least 50 points in four campaigns, having spent time with Laval, San Antonio and Hartford.
Belzile also has NHL experience, registering six goals and 15 points in 44 games with the Montreal Canadiens over four NHL campaigns. He last played in the NHL in 2022-23, scoring six goals and 14 points in 31 outings with the Habs.
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Belzile is expected to return full-time to Laval, where he previously served as captain in 2022-23. The Rocket should be a notable contender this coming season, with the team’s second-highest scorer, Laurent Dauphin, set to return. Other notable names include forwards Vinzenz Rohrer, Josh Nadeau, Tyler Thorpe, Owen Beck and Filip Mesar, as well as defenders David Reinbacher, Adam Engstrom and Bryce Pickford.
Kahkonen played 38 games with the Rocket in 2025-2026, posting a record of 21-9-7. He has 140 games of NHL experience with Minnesota, San Jose, New Jersey and Colorado, posting a record of 49-68-15. Kahkonen will give the Canadiens some further goaltending depth, with Jacob Fowler, Samuel Montembeault and Jakub Dobes all up with the big club.
The Rocket finished the 2025-26 season with a 41-23-8 record before falling in the division semifinal. The team nearly made the Calder Cup Final in 2024-25 after setting a team-best 48 victories in 72 games.
The Canadiens, meanwhile, advanced to the Stanley Cup playoffs for the second straight season. The club eventually lost to the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final, but still showed a serious step forward for a team fresh out of a rebuild.
The Canadiens have around $14 million in cap space, with Kirby Dach, Brett Berard, Zack Bolduc and Arber Xhekaj among restricted free agents who need new deals.