The Montreal Canadiens have signed forward Joe Veleno to a one-year, one-way contract, the team announced on Wednesday.
Veleno was bought out by the Seattle Kraken after they acquired him from the Chicago Blackhawks prior to the NHL free agency period. The contract carries a cap hit of $900,000, per Renaud Lavoie.
The left-handed centre fills a potential need in the organization, and at 25-year-old there’s still a chance he shows some of the potential that made him an exceptional player in the QMJHL and allowed to play in the league at 15 years old. He was the first player to earn that status in the Quebec league.
He was drafted in the first round, 30th overall in the 2018 NHL Draft but has struggled to produce at the NHL level. In 74 NHL games last season between Detroit and Chicago he had eight goals and nine assists. Over his career, he has 38 goals and 43 assists in 308 regular season games over five seasons.
He’s unlikely to be the #2 centre the Canadiens have a need for, but he can provide the organization with depth and maybe a reunion with his former agent Kent Hughes and a return to his hometown can spark something in the Montreal native.
