The Montreal Canadiens already lacked depth down the middle of the ice, a situation that will only become more complicated once centre Christian Dvorak signs with another club.
Dvorak, 29, scored 11 goals and 21 assists in 82 games last year, playing the majority of his shifts alongside fellow veterans Josh Anderson and Brendan Gallagher. And while it’s fair to say Dvorak’s time with the Canadiens was relatively underwhelming, the free agency market does not offer general manager Kent Hughes many options. For what it’s worth, Dvorak is rumoured to be close to agreeing to a contract with the Vancouver Canucks.
On that note, the Canadiens have reportedly offered forward Joe Veleno a contract following his buyout by the Seattle Kraken.
Veleno, 25, spent the last season playing for the Detroit Red Wings as well as the Chicago Blackhawks, scoring eight goals and nine assists in 74 games. The Montreal native struggled to produce decent underlying numbers with either team, with some of his key stats hovering near the 45 percent range, which is considered below-replacement in the NHL.
Of course, just because Veleno struggled in Detroit and Chicago doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be a disaster should he land in Montreal, especially since his quality of teammates should increase if he signs with the Montreal Canadiens.
Fortunately, Veleno offers some value when it comes to his defensive prowess, but his offensive output is quite low.
It’s also worth remembering that there are very few quality centres available in free agency, and according to the report, the Canadiens have only tendered a contract in the $1 million range, which may not be enough to convince Veleno, as the Vegas Golden Knights, St-Louis Blues, Florida Panthers, and Vancouver Canucks are also interested in Veleno’s services.
At 25 years old, Veleno is certainly younger than the options in free agency, but it would be unrealistic to expect him to take a significant step forward at this point in his career.
On me dit que le #CH aurait déposé une offre de contrat d’une saison avoisinant les 1,000,000$ à Joe Veleno.
D’autres équipes ont également démontré de l’intérêt envers lui, notamment VGK, STL, FLA et VAN.
Aucune décision n’a encore été prise. À suivre!#Habs #Canadiens
— Marc-Olivier Beaudoin (@MOBeaudoin1) July 1, 2025
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