The Canadian | Time to cut ties, or not

It was in 2022 that the Gorton-Hughes pair conducted its first draft. For the first time in their reign, the two leaders will therefore have to let slip the hopes that they themselves claimed. The Canadian drafted 11 players in the 2022 auction; they will not all reach the NHL, and a first pruning phase will take place this week.

1^er June constitutes in fact a deadline in this process. It is in fact on Saturday that the Habs’ rights to certain picks from recent years who have not yet signed an NHL contract expire. Here are the items on the agenda.

Jared Davidson, forward, pick 5^e round (130^e in total) in 2022

This is the most intriguing file, because Davidson is the only one of the lot to have played in Laval. He did so under an American League contract only. The CH must now decide if he deserves an NHL contract. However, according to our information, the player’s entourage has not yet received a definitive response from the Habs, so hope persists. Davidson is a special case, because he was 20 years old when Montreal drafted him. He then returned to the junior ranks, where he helped the Seattle Thunderbirds win the WHL championship. Then, in Laval, he scored 11 goals in 38 games, an interesting performance for a rookie. Injuries at the start and end of the calendar caused him to miss action.

Cédrick Guindon, forward, pick 4^e round (127^e in total) in 2022

The Franco-Ontarian has just had a so-so campaign for a 19-year-old player. With 57 points in 68 games, Guindon produced his worst offensive performance in three years in the Ontario Junior League (OHL). His -30 differential was the worst on his club, the Owen Sound Attack. His agent, Dave Maloney, cautiously acknowledges that it is “unlikely” that his client will receive a contract by Saturday. There was not even talk of an American League contract. “But he remains quite a player,” he believes. Guindon will therefore become eligible for the draft again, but Maloney points out that in cases like this, where the team chooses to let the player go, it is unlikely that the player will then be drafted again. “So he will return to junior and he will reposition himself for a contract if he has a good 20-year-old season,” believes Maloney.

Miguel Tourigny, defenseman, pick 7^e tower (216^e in total) in 2022

Like Davidson, he was drafted at age 20. But rather than returning to the QMJHL as a senior in the league, he headed to Europe to play a season in Slovakia. Last season, he returned to North America under a contract with the Laval Rocket. The problem: this contract was never useful, since he spent the entire campaign in the stronghold of Maurice Le Noblet Duplessis, with the Lions of Trois-Rivières. Tourigny finished the season as the Lions’ top defenseman with 38 points in 61 games, but at 5’8″, his size will always remain an Achilles heel for him. And Laval had no shortage of offensive defenders in its ranks. If he stays with the organization, it won’t be with an NHL contract.

Petteri Nurmi, defenseman, pick 7^e tower (194^e in total) in 2022

Teams normally have four years to grant a contract to a prospect playing in Europe. For Nurmi, however, it was only two years, since he was 20 years old (this was obviously the fashion in 2022) when the Canadian drafted him. With the surplus of defenders in the organization, it is difficult to see the CH offering a contract to a player confined to a depth role within HPK Hameenlinna, one of the worst teams in the Finnish Liiga.

Dates…

There are many nuances, but generally speaking, teams have two years after the draft to offer a contract to players from Canadian junior hockey, and four years for those who play in Europe. 1^er June is used as the reference date. As for players who play in the NCAA, it’s also four years, but the deadline is August 15. The deadline is extended, however, for those still playing in college after the four years, like Jack Smith and Rhett Pitlick, distant picks from 2019 and 2020.

…and contracts

Teams can’t just hand out contracts like giving away St. Catherine’s tricks on Halloween, since they are limited to 50 contracts. However, in addition to the 23 players who form the big club, the injured (even Carey Price, for CH) and the prospects who play in the American League are among the 50 players. Finally, clubs must keep a few boxes open in case they wish to agree with NCAA hopefuls, whose season generally ends in March or early April. This is what the Habs did with Lane Hutson this spring, for example. According to CapFriendly, Montreal currently has 39 contracts, a figure to which must be added restricted free agents like Arber Xhekaj and Justin Barron, who are awaiting a new agreement, as well as the hiring of 1^er July.