The Montreal Canadiens have agreed to a two-year, one-way contract with defenseman Jayden Struble, the team announced on Monday morning.
The two parties inked the deal, which pays Struble an average annual salary of $1.4125 million after he requested the negotiations go to arbitration.
The 23-year-old defenseman has played 112 games with the Canadiens over the last two seasons, averaging just over 15 minutes a night. Struble brings a steady, physical presence on the back end and provides the Canadiens with flexibility by being a player who can play on both sides of the ice.
Drafted 46th overall in 2019, Struble has been a mainstay on the Canadiens’ back end for the last two seasons, though offensive production is not his strength, nor his role.
The Habs will likely look to him to play on the bottom pairing this season, but they’ll almost certainly take advantage of his versatility.
