The Montreal Canadiens chose Monday not to submit a qualifying offer to forward Rem Pitlick, who will thus become an unrestricted free agent, just like defenders Kale Clague and Josh Brook.
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For their part, goalkeepers Cayden Primeau and Samuel Montembeault, as well as forwards Kirby Dach, Nate Schnarr and Joel Teasdale have received a proposal, so their rights still belong to the Habs.
Claimed off waivers by the Canadiens in January after being made available by the Minnesota Wild, Pitlick tallied nine goals and 17 assists for 26 points in 46 games in the blue-white-red uniform, while maintaining a differential of -9. His cousin Tyler also had the opportunity to play games with the club, while his brother Rhett was selected in the fifth round of the 2019 amateur auction by Sainte-Flanelle.
For his part, Clague had been acquired the same way in December, after his stay with the Los Angeles Kings. He had five points in 25 outings with Montreal, posting a -8 record. Finally, Brook was a second-round pick, the team’s 56th overall, in 2017. Last season, he played six games with the Laval Rocket of the American League (AHL), and as many with the Lions of Trois-Rivières, in the ECHL.
No surprises
As for Dach, the procedure of the day was a mere formality, since the organization negotiated with the Chicago Blackhawks to acquire him on Thursday. In 70 games last campaign, the 21-year-old collected 26 points.
Montembeault found himself in front of the Canadian goal more often than expected due to injuries to Carey Price and Jake Allen. The former Florida Panthers went 8-18-6 with a 3.77 goals-against average and .891 save percentage last season.
Primeau, Schnarr and Teasdale helped the Rocket reach the AHL Semifinals. The first of the three has won nine of its 14 playoff games, finishing them with an average of 2.17 and a rate of .936. Teasdale has also scored 28 points in 44 games this season.