Last Friday, the Montreal Canadiens elected not to submit a qualifying offer to Rafael Harvey-Pinard. This didn’t necessarily mean they were done with him; they could have wanted to sign him again, but at a lower price. Still, the absence of a qualifying offer made him a UFA, and he didn’t stick around to find out if the Canadiens would throw a bone his way.

The 26-year-old Saguenay native signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins on July 2. A seventh-round pick at the 2019 draft, Harvey-Pinard has played 84 games in the NHL so far, all with the Canadiens, recording 17 goals and 14 assists for a total of 31 points. He made a name for himself during the 2022-23 season when he made the most of the opportunity he got when several regulars were injured for the Canadiens. He found himself skating alongside Nick Suzuki on the first line and scored 14 goals and 20 points in just 34 games. In 185 regular season games in the AHL, he has gathered 126 points, the second highest total in team history.

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Last season, he played only one game with the Canadiens, spending the rest of his campaign in the AHL, where he collected 19 points in 40 games. Injuries have played a considerable role in Harvey-Pinard’s fate. Last Summer, he had to undergo surgery after suffering a broken leg while training. As a result, he was on the sidelines for four months, meaning he missed training camp and spent the entire season playing catch-up.

While he may not be a big point producer in the NHL, he is as intense and devoted as a player can be. In Laval, he was often nicknamed Lavallagher, because his style and intensity were similar to that of alternate captain Brendan Gallagher.

With the Penguins set to undergo a bit of a rebuild, Harvey-Pinard may have a better chance to make the NHL there than he would have had with the Canadiens who have now turned a corner in their rebuild and are focussing much more on results than development, as evidence by Kent Hughes’ moves so far this offseason.

The Pens also signed another Quebecer on the same day when they added Anthony Mantha to the fold. The former Detroit Red Wings first-round pick has struggled to find a home since leaving Detroit and will be on his fifth team. While these signings might have prompted part of the Canadiens’ fan base to lament the fact that the Habs didn’t sign the Quebecers at one time, Hughes has ensured it wouldn’t happen this year by acquiring Zach Bolduc in a trade and signing Samuel Blais as a free agent.

Photo credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images

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Pontus Holmberg spoke to the media on Wednesday for the first time since signing a new two-year contract worth $1.55 million per season with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Although he seemed happy to be getting a raise with his new NHL team, he did describe the emotions of the past few days that saw his former club not tender him a qualifying offer.

"First, it was tough," Holmberg told reporters in a Zoom call on Wednesday. "I'm happy to come to Tampa for a bit of a restart of my career."

Holmberg had seven goals and `12 assists in 68 games last season. Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube liked Holmberg's game to the point where the player saw some key minutes at times on the second line during their 2025 playoff run. 

Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving said they liked Holmberg, but they couldn't agree on a number for a new contract. The Leafs could have tendered Holmberg a qualifying offer of $866,000 to retain his rights, but Toronto was concerned about the money the player could get in an arbitration award. Any AAV under $4.85 million, the Leafs must honor, and there was fear the player could get a number they weren't comfortable paying.

In many ways, Holmberg was a success story for Toronto's scouting department. A sixth-round pick (156th overall) in the 2018 NHL Draft, the Swedish forward established a reputation for being a tough player to knock away from the puck. 

Although Holmberg played in 12 playoff games, he managed just one assist and has just one point in 19 career playoff games. The player admitted that he hasn't been able to demonstrate his offensive skills as much as he would like to at the NHL level, but hopes to get that opportunity in Tampa. Projected to play in the bottom six, Tampa appears to be enthusiastic about the player's defensive ability and speed. The Lightning will also like the player's ability to draw penalties, where he led all Leafs with 28 and was 21st in the NHL. 

Why The Maple Leafs Didn’t Qualify Pontus Holmberg As Player Signs With Lightning Pontus Holmberg is moving on from the Toronto Maple Leafs to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

He told The Hockey News that he was good at drawing penalties his entire career, including the SHL where the player helped the Vaxjo Lakers HC win an SHL championship in 2021. Holmberg took SHL Playoffs MVP that year and also won Swedish Forward of the Year honors.

(Photo credit: Tampa Bay Lighting YouTube Channel)

Why the Maple Leafs Are Expected to Target Top-Six Forward Help Through Trades, Not Free AgencyThe Toronto Maple Leafs have a Mitch Marner-sized hole in their lineup opted for a sign and trade with the Vegas Golden Knights. But when the clock struck noon for the opening of free agency, the Leafs were quiet.

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Sharks sign Dmitry Orlov, claim Nick Leddy to surpass NHL's $70.6M salary floor originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Sharks have been busy filling out their roster since NHL free agency opened Tuesday, and they made two more important moves Thursday.

Veteran defenseman Dmitry Orlov signed a two-year contract with the Sharks worth $6.5 million annually.

San Jose also claimed 34-year-old defenseman Nick Leddy off waivers from the St. Louis Blues.

NHL insider Elliotte Friedman first reported news of Leddy being claimed.

Leddy has a $4 million AAV for the 2025-26 season, meaning the Sharks added $10.5 million in salary Thursday, putting them above the $70.60 million salary floor.

Per PuckPedia, the Sharks currently have $72.55 million in salaries — second-lowest in the NHL — for next season.

Orlov is a 13-year NHL veteran, having spent time with the Washington Capitals, Boston Bruins and most recently, with the Carolina Hurricanes.

In 76 games with the Hurricanes last season, Orlov scored six goals and recorded 22 assists. He has 327 points in 867 career NHL games.

“Dmitry is a strong, two-way defenseman who brings physicality and versatility on the ice,” Sharks general manager Mike Grier said in a statement released by the team. “He has a wealth of NHL experience, both in the regular season and playoffs, and his Stanley Cup championship pedigree is a valuable addition to our team. We are happy to have him.”

Leddy brings even more experience to the Sharks, having played for the New York Islanders, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings and Blues during his 15-year NHL career.

He appeared in just 31 games for the Blues last season, registering two goals and three assists. In 1,042 career NHL games, he has 416 points.

The Sharks are building an exciting young core, but the downside of that strategy is that they have one of the NHL’s youngest teams.

Adding Orlov and Leddy, both of whom have won the Stanley Cup, gives the Sharks two much-needed veteran leaders.

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Like most NHL teams, the Montreal Canadiens are holding a development camp this week to get a look at the players they’ve just drafted and to assess those they drafted in previous years who are still in the development process. Yesterday, the prospects underwent various physical tests, and today, they finally took to the ice.

The first on-ice session featured the organization’s goaltending prospects: Alexis Cournoyer, Arseni Radkov, Mikus Vecvanags, and Yevgeni Volokhin. They spent the first 15 minutes working on skating and positioning drills before being joined on the ice by six forwards to face some shots.

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Michael Hage, Filip Eriksson, Sam Harris, Tyler Thorpe, Israel Mianscum, and surprise addition Jack Gorton, son of Jeff Gorton, who plays with Boston University, all spent over an hour testing the goaltenders with various kinds of shots and in different drills.

The forwards and defensemen then went to the ice on two separate rinks. The forwards participated in several drills, the first of which was a one-on-one scenario. Despite being the shortest player at camp, LJ Mooney displayed a lot of agility and an ability to hang onto the puck. Even though he’s not tall, he’s strong and hard enough to move off the puck. They then worked an interesting drill, which started as a two-on-two before a third attacker joined the play.

On the other ice, the blueliners were put through their paces with various passing and shooting drills under the watchful eye of Montreal Victoire coach Kori Cheverie, one of the guest coaches. Speaking of watchful eyes, Kent Hughes, Jeff Gorton, and Trevor Letowsky were keeping a close eye on proceedings by the forward’s rink.

The Canadiens made some of the prospects’ media availability available online, and these kids seem to have their heads on straight. LJ Mooney was an interesting interview to watch; he’s Logan Cooley’s cousin and said that he grew up with him, but was also fortunate enough to train with him. When asked if he was still growing, he only shrugged and said he didn’t know and didn’t think it mattered. As for someone to look up to in the game, he mentioned Cole Caufield right away.

Centre L.J. Mooney is the smallest player at Canadiens development camp at 5-foot-7 and 162 pounds, but also one of the most skilled. #Habs selected him in fourth round (113th overall) of last Friday’s NHL Draft. He is inspired by Cole Caufield and Lane Hutson. pic.twitter.com/m3Bllgr7pZ

— Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) July 2, 2025

As for Aatos Koivu, he looked incredibly excited to be there. He wasn’t at development camp last time around and had a bit of a rough year after catching mononucleosis and being out for five weeks, but he did add that he learned a lot from the challenges of the latest season. He’s in town with his whole family, and while some people have recognized his father on the streets, the fans have been respectful, and no one has gone overboard. He was blown away by the Bell Center and the organization and said it would mean everything to one day play for the Canadiens. Kovu also repeated numerous times how much he loves the city.

Alexis Cournoyer was still beaming with excitement and sought advice from his cousin, Olivier Cournoyer, who is a boxer who has competed at the Olympics. Asked which goaltender he idolized growing up, he answered it used to be Carey Price, but it’s now Samuel Montembeault. In the Summer, he’s been training with the Canadiens’ goaltender for years, and he texted him right after he was drafted. Asked about the fact he’d be facing the best Canadiens’ prospects at camp, he replied right away that he’s not worried about it since he’s one of the best as well. Describing his compete level, the goaltender said he constantly battles to the very end for a puck; he never gives up. As for whether his dad went through his draft promise on social media, the youngster laughed and said Oh no, I made sure of it.

Michael Hage, who was in his second development camp, enjoyed his day at camp, saying it was tough but a lot of fun. He mentions that he still needs to get stronger and work hard in the gym; he has put on 10 pounds; he has realized in the NCAA that it’s not easy to play against older players. He said that he will be at Team Canada’s camp at the end of the month, unlike last year. Asked about what he thinks when he hear people suggest the Canadiens need to sign a center as a stop gap solution until he’s ready, he explained that he doesn’t listen to that kind of noise and focuses on becoming the best player he can be, the type of a player a coach knows what he’s going to get when he puts him on the ice.

Michael Hage est en forme. pic.twitter.com/mJ2a8a1tvF

— Anthony Martineau (@Antho_Martineau) July 2, 2025

Tomorrow, the prospects will return to the ice for the final day of development camp, which will feature a Red vs. White scrimmage. It'll be the last bit of organized action in Brossard until rookie camp starts in September, and until then, we’ll be keeping an eye on Hughes. You never know when the GM will surprise the league with another deal.

Canadiens stories, analysis, breaking news, and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News, never to miss a story.  

Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.

Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens.

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