It’s been a busy day for the Montreal Canadiens.
Minutes after revamping their entire blueline by shipping Jeff Petry to Pittsburgh, the Canadiens opted to take care of some in-house business on Saturday afternoon, agreeing to terms with forward Rem Pitlick on a two-year contract worth an average annual value of $1.1 million.
Pitlick is essentially found money for a Canadiens team in need of cheap young talent. Acquired via waivers midway through the 2021-22 season, Pitlick performed quite well in Montreal down the stretch, racking up nine goals and 17 assists for 26 points in 46 games.
The 25-year-old has certainly been riding some exorbitant shooting luck over the past calendar year, with a 17.3 percent efficiency mark last season and a whopping 46.2 percent shooting percentage in 2021. But Pitlick has produced at close to a half-point-per-game pace for the entirety of his three-year NHL career, offering a big enough sample size to suggest that he’ll still be somewhat productive even if his shot metrics take a natural step back.
At just a little over $1 million per season, Pitlick gives the Canadiens a fine bottom-six scoring threat at an extremely affordable price that is also capable of being buried entirely in the minors with no lingering impact on the salary cap if it ultimately does not work out.
Now under contract to a team that seems intent on keeping him for the foreseeable future, Pitlick may just have the stability required to truly take another step in 2022-23.
And even if he doesn’t, the Habs can sweep him under the rug at no extra cost.
