Tinkering around the edges of their depth, the Montreal Canadiens have announced the signing of Philippe Maillet, who was most recently active in the KHL with Metallurg Magnitogorsk.
The Canadiens have agreed to terms on one-year, two-way contracts with forward Philippe Maillet and defenseman Brady Keeper.#GoHabsGo | @RBC https://t.co/tLMNngE4yD
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) July 1, 2023
Maillet was the leading scorer last year for Metallurg, and has some pretty intriguing AHL production in his past as well. After playing in the CIS with the University of New Brunswick, he spent time with the Ontario Reign and Hershey Bears, even earning a cup of coffee with the Washington Capitals back in 2020-21.
At the very least, he should be a productive member of the Laval Rocket, with the potential to earn a call-up to Montreal in the event the injury bug strikes the team again. .
Keeper was in North America last year with the Abbotsford Canucks, posting one goal and five assists in 35 games before adding one goal in two playoff games. The 6-foot-2, 197-pound defenseman tallied 27 points (9 goals, 18 assists) in 107 games with the Springfield Thunderbirds, the Syracuse Crunch and the Canucks. Keeper also played two NHL games with the Florida Panthers.
These are just some low-cost depth additions, and barring any new developments in the next 30 minutes before Kent Hughes speaks with the media, it will complete the day for the Habs.
