A surprising frontrunner has emerged for Jason Robertson and it's stunning the hockey world

Jason Robertson and Martin St-Louis are suddenly part of a Canadiens dream that no longer feels impossible.

The key shift is not that Montreal is close to landing him. It is that Robertson is reportedly open to the idea of playing there, and that changes the feel of the whole file.

That matters because Robertson is not some middle-six gamble. He is 26, he is in his prime, and he just finished 2025-26 with 45 goals and 96 points in 82 games for Dallas.

Players with that kind of production do not usually open the door to Montreal without real thought, especially when they are American, already playing on a contender, and living in Texas.

That is what makes this story hit in Montreal. The old arguments against the Canadiens still exist. Tax, weather, pressure, and daily spotlight are all part of the package.

And yet this file says something different. It says a star winger with elite numbers may still look at the Canadiens and see a place worth joining.

That alone is a signal for Kent Hughes. Montreal is not only chasing talent anymore. It is starting to look like a place top-end talent can picture itself in.

" “From what I understand, Jason Robertson would be willing, even though he's American, even though he benefits from a tax-friendly state like Texas, and even though he plays for one of the NHL's top teams, to play in Montreal.” - François Gagnon "

Montreal still has one huge problem to solve

The problem is not attraction. The problem is cost.

Robertson is finishing a 4-year contract and remains a restricted free agent, with his current deal carrying a 7.75 million cap hit. That is why the next number is going to be massive, no matter where he plays.

And that is where the Canadiens sound careful. The talk around this possibility is that Montreal would not want to wreck its salary structure just to force a Robertson deal through.

That caution makes sense. The Canadiens already finished 48-24-10 for 106 points in 2025-26, so this is not a broken team chasing one player out of panic. It is a rising team trying to add without losing its shape.

Robertson also would not come cheap in a trade. Dallas knows exactly what it has in a winger with 490 career points in 456 NHL games, and the Stars would ask for pain in return.

Still, Montreal should not ignore what this says. A player like Jason Robertson being willing to play for the Canadiens is not normal background noise. It is the kind of signal front offices remember.

So even if this never gets across the line, the message is still big. Jason Robertson reportedly sees Montreal as a real option, and for the Canadiens, that says as much about where the club is headed as any trade rumor could.