The Habs have added some grit to their bottom six as they announced the signing of veteran forward Cedric Paquette to a one-year deal worth $950,000.
The 27-year-old was traded to Ottawa in a cap-clearing move from Tampa Bay at the start of the year although he wasn’t there for long as not even seven weeks later, he was flipped to Carolina. Between the two teams last season, Paquette played in 47 games, notching four goals and four assists. Of course, he’s more known for his grit and physicality than his production and recorded 136 hits, his seventh straight season over the century mark in that regard.
While Paquette has played at centre for most of his career, he was almost exclusively a left winger last season. He’s typically someone that is below average at the faceoff dot and knowing Dominique Ducharme’s desire to have someone take some extra critical faceoffs, that job shouldn’t be falling to Paquette. Accordingly, it seems reasonable to believe that the Habs are viewing him as a winger as well.
The contract is only $200,000 above the league minimum so there is certainly some value on this deal but don’t be expecting Paquette to come up on the scoresheet very often. Instead, he’ll help the penalty kill and provide a physical presence from the fourth line.
Paquette’s Stats: