Prior to Game 4 of their second round series vs Boston, the Habs inked one of
their future players to a contract extension as defenceman Greg Pateryn received
a two year deal. Although financial terms were not officially disclosed,
reports are that he will earn $550,000 on a two-way deal in 2014-15 and $575,000
on a one-way deal in 2015-16.
Pateryn had a fantastic sophomore season with the Bulldogs where he was their
top defenceman on a night-to-night basis. Despite this, he never suited up
with the big club this year although he was up with the team for 17 days during
the course of the regular season. Pateryn recorded 34 points (15 goals, 19
assists) in 68 games with Hamilton; his goal total ranked him 2nd amongst all
AHL blueliners. To put that in perspective, the rest of the Bulldogs’
defence corps combined for just 18.
The Habs acquired the 6’2 blueliner in 2008 from Toronto as part of the
Mikhail Grabovski trade (they also picked up a 2nd rounder in that deal which
was flipped to Chicago for Robert Lang). Pateryn played his college career
at Michigan and spent a good chunk of that time alongside Mac Bennett who will
be playing his first pro season in 2014-15. There’s a good chance that the
two could be re-united with the Bulldogs on one of Hamilton’s top two pairings.
A common question regarding Pateryn is his waiver status. As he signed
with the Habs at age 22, he has three years of waiver exemption or 70 NHL GP,
whichever comes first. He has only played three NHL games so far.
His entry-level deal was for two years (2012-13 and 2013-14) which means that he
will be waiver exempt for next season. However, for 2015-16, the year in
which his contract becomes a one-way pact, he will require waivers to be
re-assigned.
Pateryn was ranked 16th in HW’s 2013 Prospect Rankings, up 13 positions from
the year before. In our fan ballot, he narrowly missed out on a top-10
ranking, placing 11th.
Pateryn’s Stats
