“It’s still possible that Joe Veleno will be back next year.”

Félix Forget
“It’s still possible that Joe Veleno will be back next year.”
Credit: Capture d'écran Twitter

Earlier today, the CH submitted eight qualifying offers. Among them, Kirby Dach, Zachary Bolduc, and Arber Xhekaj are the biggest names to have received one.

In all three cases, this isn't a huge surprise… except perhaps for Dach, but even then.

That said, among those who didn't receive an offer is Joe Veleno. The Habs therefore did not retain the rights to the Quebec native, who performed quite well as the 13th forward last year and wouldn't have cost much to re-sign.

This means that as of Wednesday at noon, Veleno will be free to sign with any team. But according to Eric Engels, we shouldn't rule out the possibility that the forward could be back in town this fall.

That scenario could be considered “once the dust settles.”

It's reasonable to assume that the Habs, who intend to add offensive help next year, didn't want to commit to Veleno just yet. But in a scenario where they'll have a hole to fill in their depth in a few weeks, perhaps they'll reach out to Veleno then to see if he's interested in returning.

Assuming, of course, that he hasn't signed with another team in the meantime. And that scenario isn't impossible either, given that he performed reasonably well in a supporting role (despite his meager five-point total in 61 games).

Keep in mind that the Canadiens currently have 10 regular forwards under contract for next season. And if we add Zachary Bolduc and Kirby Dach (assuming the latter returns next year), that number rises to 12.

And that's not even counting the possibility that a player from Laval might force the team's hand at training camp, that a trade could be completed to bring in offensive reinforcements… or that Michael Hage might change his mind over the summer and make the jump to the pros as early as next season. That's why we're not committing to a 13th forward just yet… though we're not closing the door on the possibility of seeing one again this summer.


In Brief

– Brendan Gallagher shows his love for the Habs and the young members of his core.

– Mason Marchment: Pierre LeBrun mentions (again) the Canadiens in this story.

– Akira Schmid joins the Panthers.

– Hey, guys!

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