Although the Habs didn’t make any trades on deadline day, they did make one
notable move, signing Danny Kristo to a two year, entry level contract covering
this season and 2013-14. The 2008 2nd round pick (56th overall) in 2008
was eligible to become an unrestricted free agent on August 15th had he not come
to terms with the team.
Financial terms of the deal were not officially disclosed, however, the
maximum salary for 2008 draft picks is $875,000, 10% of which ($87,500) can be
in the form of a signing bonus. He can also receive up to a maximum of
$2.85 million in performance bonuses.
Kristo recently completed his college career at the University of North
Dakota and finished with a bang. He was one of ten finalists for the Hobey
Baker Award (although he wasn’t one of the final three, named earlier on
Wednesday) and was named to the All-WCHA First All-Star team. His 161
career points in the NCAA is higher than any other player presently in
collegiate hockey. This year, he played 40 games for the Fighting Sioux,
posting career highs across the board (26 goals, 26 assists, and a +17 rating).
That ranked him second in college hockey in goals and points while his six game
winning goals were tied for third best in the NCAA.
The club already has already assigned him to the Hamilton Bulldogs who begin
a three game in three day stint (all on the road) on Friday. As the
contract encompasses part of this season, the Habs now sit at 48/50 committed
deals.
Career Stats
In other news Wednesday, Raphael Diaz skated for the first time since
suffering a concussion while Rene Bourque also was on the ice at Brossard.
Colby Armstrong is expected to miss the remainder of the regular season with a
lower body injury sustained Monday night vs Carolina. Davis Drewiske is
with the team in Philadelphia and will play against the Flyers; he will be
paired with Francis Bouillon.