Canadiens Signings – What To Expect From Joe Veleno

The Montreal Canadiens signed a centre on Wednesday, coming to terms with former Detroit Red Wings forward Joe Veleno.

Veleno, 25, was drafted 30th overall by the Red Wings in 2018, and was recently bought out by the Seattle Kraken, as they deemed his $2.275 million salary to be unreasonable for a depth forward. He scored eight goals and nine assists in 74 games last season, though it’s worth noting he was traded at the deadline to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for goaltender Petr Mrazek.

Montreal Canadiens Role

Given that Veleno signed a one-year contract that carries a $900,000 cap hit with the Habs, there is not much risk to be discussed in his case. At best, Veleno provides the Habs with a decent depth option who shoots left and can play centre. He’s not expected to play in the top six, mitigating the risk that he may steal precious ice time from core players.

The Montreal native will be given a chance to prove his worth at camp, with his high-end skating acting as his greatest strength. That being said, even if he’s still relatively young, we should guard against suggesting Veleno can move the needle for a team like the Canadiens, based on his underlying numbers with the Red Wings and Blackhawks.

After a decent start to his NHL career, Veleno’s numbers took a nosedive in recent seasons. Of course, it’s always difficult to judge a player’s performance on bad teams, which connotes that Veleno may find another gear in Montreal if the stars align.

The good news is that his defensive impact is slightly above average, while his offensive impact has eroded significantly.

Montreal Canadiens Brass Tacks

The 6’1″ centre will be able to help Jake Evans when it comes to the penalty kill, as well as give head coach Martin St-Louis a few more options at 5v5 due to the fact that he shoots left.

At worst, he ends up playing in the AHL with the Laval Rocket, where he can help the prospects within the organization reach a new level in the Calder Cup playoffs, making this a low risk, low reward contract.

Make no mistake, this is not a bargain bin attempt to fill the second-line centre role by Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes. That issue is yet to be resolved, and seeing as there’s a dearth of options in the trade market, there’s are good odds the team may enter the 2025-26 season without a bona fide No.2 centre in play.

As it stands, we’ll probably see the role filled by committee, with Kirby Dach, Alex Newhook, and Zachary Bolduc serving as part of the rotating cast likely to spend time playing down the middle of the ice on the second line.

ON TOPIC: Projected Canadiens Forward Lines Including Zachary Bolduc

Montreal Canadiens player cards via Evolving Hockey.