Montreal Canadiens: In Other News… Where are They Now? Free Agency Edition

Tampa Bay Lightning Sign Charles Hudon to One-Year, Two-Way Deal

Didn’t see this one coming, did ya? Well, to be frank, neither did I. After quickly falling out of favour with the Canadiens’ front office, spending the majority of 2019-20 in the AHL, I thought Charles Hudon was done with the NHL after signing a one-year deal with Lausanne HC of the Swiss-A league. Yet, after posting near-point per game totals of 15-17-32 over 33 games, Hudon has opted to give North America another shot, signing a one-year deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

A former fifth-round pick of the Canadiens in the 2012 NHL Draft, Hudon quickly emerged as a top offensive threat for the Habs AHL affiliates, posting three consecutive 40-point seasons with the Hamilton Bulldogs and St. John’s Icecaps. After earning a too-brief three-game cup of coffee with the Canadiens in each 2015-16 and 2016-17, Hudon made the opening right roster out of training camp in 2017-18, and, for a brief moment, didn’t disappoint. As the Canadiens struggled through a weak, if not entirely dead offence and numerous inconsistencies in goal, Hudon did what he could offensively with 10-20-30 totals and a -12 rating over 72 games.

However, as fate would have it, that would be the best Hudon has managed offensively and to an extent, defensively, at the NHL level, posting just 4-3-7 totals and a dreadful -18 rating over his next 47 games, split over two seasons. While he managed an AHL all-star appearance in 2019-20 with an impressive 27 goals over just 46 games, Hudon is going to one of the NHL’s most stacked teams offensively, and it seems unlikely he’ll be able to find little, if any playing time with the Lightning come next season. While anything is possible, it seems as though Hudon is destined for another season in the AHL with the Syracuse Crunch in 2021-22, where he’ll continue to be a top offensive option and a likely candidate to head back overseas come next offseason.