The Habs took care of one of their pending free agents on Saturday, announcing that they’ve re-signed Lukas Vejdemo to a one-year, two-way contract. The deal is worth $750,000 in the NHL, $175,000 in the minors, and contains an overall guarantee of $215,000, a little more than doubling the guaranteed money from this season.
Vejdemo was a third-rounder back in 2015 (85th overall) but has had a very limited role since joining the organization. Drafted in his second year of eligibility, the hope was that he’d turn into a possible checking centre down the road. Instead, he has basically been a full-time minor leaguer aside from seven games with the Habs in 2019-20 (where he scored the final goal of their regular season).
This season, he was frequently in Laval’s middle six, notching seven goals and six assists in 27 games, numbers that weren’t particularly strong for a 25-year-old. However, he played an important checking role, one that helped earn him a recall as part of Montreal’s playoff recalls.
Vejdemo actually was eligible for Group VI unrestricted free agency this summer and could have tried his hand in another organization or gone back home to Sweden but the Habs have instead given him another opportunity to stick around. He will be waiver-eligible for the first time next season but it seems quite unlikely that he’ll be claimed so he will probably reprise his role with the Rocket.
Vejdemo’s Stats: