The Montreal Canadiens have extended Chris Wideman for two seasons, the team announced on Monday.
The Canadiens have agreed to terms on a two-year contract extension (2022-23 to 2023-24) with defenseman Chris Wideman.#GoHabsGo https://t.co/3EJg94OXt8
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) June 6, 2022
Wideman joined the team for the 2021-22 season as a free agent after a successful season with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod in the KHL, where he led the league in scoring among defenders and was voted the league’s best defenceman. In 64 games with the Canadiens, Wideman tallied four goals and 23 assists, tying him with Jeff Petry for the team’s leading point-getter among defenceman.
Wideman’s offensive capabilities will be welcome on the Canadiens blueline, given the departure of Brett Kulak and the uncertain status of Petry. His veteran presence will also help a defence corps that is expected to be very young, with prospects such as Jordan Harris, Justin Barron, Kaiden Guhle, and Mattias Norlinder all potentially breaking into the NHL full-time next season.
Salary terms were not disclosed by the team upon the initial announcement but Sportsnet’s Eric Engels says the contract is for $750,000 in season one and $775,000 in season two, for an average cap-hit of $762,500 per season.
Correction: Year 2 is at $775K
— Eric Engels (@EricEngels) June 6, 2022
