Montreal Canadiens Rumours: Is Charles Hudon heading to Switzerland?

Charles Hudon has had an up-and-down time with the Montreal Canadiens, and if this ends up being the end, apparently, teams are calling from Switzerland.

When it comes to goal-scoring, there are two players on the Montreal Canadiens that definitely raise one’s blood pressure. Artturi Lehkonen made his NHL debut and put up 18 goals. Many believed he could be a consistent 20-goal player who works hard and produces, but Lehkonen has gone on a run of getting all the chances with little reward. Another player on the team who falls in a similar category is Charles Hudon.

Hudon once was a coveted piece within the organization. The Montreal Canadiens drafted the 25-year-old in the fifth-round of the 2012 NHL Draft after a point-per-game season with the Chicoutimi Sagueneens.

His rise to prospect stardom kicked off after an impressive AHL rookie season with the Hamilton Bulldogs. Hudon continued to improve his production in the minors scoring 28 and 27 goals in the next two seasons. Even his NHL debut didn’t do much to control the flame as Hudon put up 2 points in those three games.

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Similar to Lehkonen, Hudon found ways to score in his debut season with the Montreal Canadiens before being a player who would get in key positions with barely anything to show for it. It’s put his place within the organization a messy one as he played the majority of the year in the AHL and was only up on an emergency-recall.

Additionally, Hudon is a pending restricted free agent finishing off the one-year $800,000 deal with the Habs last year.

It doesn’t seem as if Hudon has a place on the team. His plays hasn’t been good enough to keep him in the NHL full-time, and there are more players coming to fill those spots on the roster. This may be it for Hudon in the organization, and it makes the news of offers all the more interesting.

Jean-Francois Chaumont of the Journal de Montreal put out a post sharing some words from Charles Hudon’s agent Allain Roy. Apparently, teams from the Swiss National League and the KHL have looked into offering Hudon a contract to play.

Hudon is a restricted free agent, which gives the team more power than the player, but if the Montreal Canadiens don’t give him a qualifying offer, he will become an unrestricted free agent and be free to sign anywhere. That could be Hudon’s ticket to take someone up on one of those offers.

It’s an interesting question, and again the Montreal Canadiens have control over it. If they give Hudon a qualifying offer, they retain his rights, and something will be savaged. However, that would almost guarantee another almost full season in the AHL.

Hudon could roll the dice and try to get another team to give him an opportunity (assuming his rights expire) or just take it upon himself to head overseas.