Montreal Canadiens extend qualifying offers to five players

The Montreal Canadiens have submitted qualifying offers to five prospective free agents, the team announced on Monday.

Newly acquired Kirby Dach, Joël Teasdale, Nate Schnarr, Cayden Primeau, and Samuel Montembeault have received offers. Any player not receiving a qualifying offer by 5:00 p.m. on Monday will become an unrestricted free agent on Wednesday at noon.

Players to not receive an offer are forward Rem Pitlick, and defencemen Josh Brook and Kale Clague. Pitlick and Clague were waiver pick ups last season, while Brook was a second-round pick in the 2017 NHL Draft. Injuries derailed Brook’s progression, and he spent most of the season with the ECHL’s Trois-Rivières Lions, and was not recalled to the Rocket for their playoff run.

Pitlick is likely the biggest surprise of the three. He had nine goals and 17 assists in 46 games with the Canadiens and six goals and five assists in 20 games with the Minnesota Wild prior to being placed on waivers.

The team also signed pending restricted free agents Michael Pezzetta and Corey Schueneman to new contracts earlier in the day.