Three Canadiens Prospects Unlikely To Get Contract Offers
The Montreal Canadiens currently sit at 47 contracts out of a maximum allowable of 50. That number might go down a notch with players such as Mathieu Perreault and Tyler Pitlick unlikely to return next season as they become unrestricted free agents.
The maximum amount of players in which a team can hold their rights is 90. This is called a reserve list. Players who are 18 or 19 years of age, who have a contract but have played in less than 11 games don’t have their contract counted towards the limit of 50. The Canadiens currently have a total of 75 players in which they hold their rights.
With contract slots opening up, this can get a few prospects excited at the idea of someday playing the NHL sooner rather than later. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be in the cards for a few of these prospects, at least not with the Canadiens.
Contract Deadline: August 15th, 2022
Jack Gorniak is a 4th round pick of the 2018 draft. A left winger standing 5’11” and tilting the scale at 181 lbs, the West Salem, Wisconsin native had committed to the University of Wisconsin since being drafted. In 4 seasons in the NCAA playing 133 games, he scored 17 goals along with 33 assists for 50 points. He was also one of Cole Caufield’s teammates.
Gorniak is a very speedy winger who can occasionally fill in at center. He has incredible stamina and is relentless at forechecking. Unfortunately that seems to be it. He has a very average shot and isn’t the best at puck protection. He’s the kind of player the Canadiens have too much of and will likely get his release this summer.
Contract Deadline: August 15th, 2022
Brett Stapley must still be flying high as exactly one month ago he helped the University of Denver defeat Minnesota State University to win the NCAA Frozen Four.
The 23 year old North Vancouver, BC native is a small centerman who was drafted in the 7th round by the Canadiens in 2018. In his 4 seasons in the NCAA he played 121 games and scored 32 goals along with 67 assists for 99 points.
Stapley has very high hockey IQ to go along with his playmaking abilities. However, his sluggish speed along with his lack of physical play will make it hard for Stapley to make it to the NHL. Despite his positive contribution in his senior year in the NCAA, Stapley has proven to be too inconsistent and takes too much time to adapt.
He might someday be a depth AHL player at best but it’s highly unlikely the Canadiens offer him a contract before the his August 15th deadline.
Contract Deadline: June 1st, 2022
Jacob Olofsson was the Canadiens’ second round pick in 2018 and was seen as a potential middle-six centerman with high upside in his defensive game.
His junior years certainly proved that he’s a very capable two-way centerman. While his overall skating and stick skills are decent at best, Olofsson opened some eyes with his solid reading of the back end of the ice.
That being said however, once he graduated to the SHL, Olofsson’s limitations have hindered his game. In 4 seasons in the SHL, in which he split time between 3 different clubs and bounced between the SHL and the Swe2 league, Olofsson played 81 games and scored 6 goals along with 15 assists totalling 21 points. His strengths suddenly became average at best and despite a sudden resurrection in this year’s playoffs with IF Björklöven of Swe2 where he notched 13 points in 18 games, it seems the 22 year old Swede won’t be calling Montreal home once his June 1st deadline passes.
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