Joe Veleno Signs a Contract with the Rangers

On Monday night, Joe Veleno did not receive a qualifying offer from the Canadiens. This made him an unrestricted free agent.

There was a good chance he would end up returning, but he was going to test the market anyway.

And now it turns out that Veleno won't be returning to Montreal after all: he's found a new team elsewhere.

According to Tony Marinaro, Veleno will continue his career with the Rangers.

He signed a one-year contract… for $1.2 million. So he got more than the minimum… and more than he would have gotten with a qualifying offer from the Habs, which would have been $945,000,

1.2M https://t.co/egfpxG59cI

— Tony Marinaro (@TonyMarinaro) July 1, 2026

We know that Veleno, even though he recorded only five points last year, found a way to make himself useful as a role player. He brought a dose of energy and was helpful in the center.

He wasn't indispensable, of course, and the surplus of forwards on the roster meant the club could afford to let him go. But the Rangers clearly see Veleno as a player who can provide depth.

The Canadiens, clearly, were ready to move on from Veleno. So we'll see if the team can replace him with another player who's willing to fill the role of 13th forward.

Will Kent Hughes sign one, or will they prefer to give a Rocket player a chance? Stay tuned.

Extension

Even though Veleno's departure isn't a major blow, the fact remains that the Canadiens haven't been improving over the past few days. In addition to the Quebec native, we've also seen Brendan Gallagher and Patrik Laine leave.

Once again, it's worth noting that these losses are (very) minor. But they're still losses… especially given that the Canadiens haven't added a single NHL-caliber player to replace them.

True! Very true!

But that doesn't make the team any better. We've seen over the past two springs what the Habs are missing.

It would be tough to have to deal with a step back next season.

— Maxime Truman (@MaximeTruman) July 1, 2026