With his arbitration hearing scheduled for next week, there was a need to get a new deal done soon for Michael McNiven. That has now happened as the Habs have re-signed McNiven to a one-year, two-way contract.
The Habs took care of one of their restricted free agents on Thursday, announcing the re-signing of forward Michael Pezzetta to a one-year, two-way contract. The deal pays $750,000 in the NHL and $82,500 in the AHL.
A total of 17 players around the NHL filed for salary arbitration on Sunday. Only one Hab was eligible in goaltender Michael McNiven and he elected to do so.
The Habs were busy as expected on the second day of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. They entered the day with ten selections, made eight, and made a total of four trades which helped them pick up three more selections for the 2022 draft.
The Habs made a rather shocking selection with their first-round pick on Friday night, picking London Knights defenceman Logan Mailloux 31st overall.
The 2021 NHL Entry Draft is almost upon us which means it’s time for our annual mock draft. As is tradition, we’ve picked the entire first round as well as Montreal’s second-round and third-round selections.
With Joel Bouchard departing as Laval’s head coach earlier this month, it created a vacancy to be filled on their staff. That opening has now been filled as the Habs announced that Jean-Francois Houle will be the third bench boss in franchise history.
It wasn’t that long ago that left wing was Montreal’s position of strength among the three forward spots. That has really changed on the current roster although they also have strengthened their prospect core on the left side in recent years.
The Habs took care of another pending free agent on Friday but in a different manner than usual. Jake Lucchini, who had been on an NHL deal with Montreal, has signed a one-year contract with Laval for next season.
The Habs have invested a lot of time into revamping their back end in recent years. However, in spite of all of the signings and draft picks used, there are still some holes in the system to address.