The buyout period and other key dates for the Canadiens

Charles-Alexis Brisebois
The buyout period and other key dates for the Canadiens
Credit: Capture d'écran/Twitter

The Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup.

As my colleague Maxime Truman said this morning, the Hurricanes have the potential to dominate for a few more years. They'll have stability everywhere—except maybe in net.

One wonders if the team sees Brandon Bussi, a waiver wire pick, as a Cam Ward 2.0 or just a guy who happened to be good at the right time…

All that to say that now that the games are behind us, the offseason can really begin.

And on that note, here are a few key dates to keep in mind so you can follow the Canadiens' offseason over the next few weeks.

First, starting Wednesday, teams will be allowed to buy out players. Window #1 begins 48 hours after the final and ends on June 30. And if a club goes to arbitration, a new window will open for that team.

Will the Habs use the buyout option on Brendan Gallagher? It's certainly not Kent Hughes's Plan A, but we're keeping an eye on the situation nonetheless.

Otherwise, we'll also be keeping an eye on the draft, which takes place on June 26 and 27. The Canadiens have eight picks, including the 28th overall pick on June 26.

Will any trades happen between now and then? We'll be keeping an eye on that, too.

Upcoming restricted free agents must receive their qualifying offers by 5 p.m. on June 29. Those who don't will be free agents as of July 1. Kirby Dach is one to watch. Zachary Bolduc, Joe Veleno, and Arber Xhekaj as well.

Restricted free agents who wish to go to arbitration will have until July 5 to file their paperwork. Hearings will take place between July 20 and August 1.

Otherwise, obviously, July 1 will be important: that's when free agency opens. Will the Canadiens sign anyone that day?

Things are going to move fast.


In a nutshell

– Interesting.

– Worth a listen.

– Check it out.

facebook icon Share twitter icon Tweet linkedin icon Share
Copied!