On a busy day for restricted free agents, the Montreal Canadiens decided to lock down one of their own, agreeing to terms with forward Michael Pezzetta on a one-year, one-way contract worth $750,000.
Pezzetta, a sixth-round pick of the Canadiens back in 2016, finally made his NHL debut last season and looked comfortable at hockey’s highest level, racking up five goals and six assists for 11 points in 51 games. During a season to forget for the entire Habs franchise, Pezzetta was a rare bright spot, competing on a nightly basis despite the dire state of the team for large stretches of the schedule, and proving that he belonged in the NHL after working his way up through the Canadiens organization from the ECHL to the big leagues since 2018.
Will Pezzetta likely be a key contributor for the Canadiens next season? Probably not. But the club clearly values what he brings to the table and made it a point of business to get him under contract, extending one of the more pleasant stories from the Habs’ nightmare 2021-22 campaign.
Good for him.
