Over the last week or so, there have been numerous reports that the Montreal Canadiens had made an offer to free agent Jo Veleno. On The Sick Podcast on Monday night, host Tony Marinaro revealed that his sources denied the claim.
According to Marinaro, the Canadiens explored the possibility, examined the player’s game, and assessed what he had accomplished so far, but ultimately, they elected to pass on the homegrown talent.
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The 25-year-old Montreal native was drafted 30th overall by the Detroit Red Wings at the 2018 draft and has been the property of three teams since then. In his draft year in the QMJHL, he played with the Drummondville Voltigeurs, accumulating 48 points in just 33 games. In his final year, he exploded for 104 points in 59 games before turning pro.
He struggled to find his footing in Detroit and could never do better than 28 points in 80 games in 2023-24. Eventually, Steve Yzerman lost faith in the last first-round pick of the Ken Holland era and traded him to the Chicago Blackhawks at the previous trade deadline in return for Petr Mrazek and Craig Smith.
The madhouse on Madison couldn’t electrify the left-shot center, though, and with seven points in 18 games, he was traded to the Seattle Kraken for Andre Burakovsky on June 21. He’ll never get a chance to prove his worth to the Kraken, though, as he was put on unconditional waivers to be bought out on June 29.
He had one year left on a two-season deal, which had a $2,275,000 cap hit. Last season, he had 17 points in 74 games, and the Kraken’s decision is understandable. This doesn’t leave the pivot in a perfect place, and you’d have to think he‘ll likely have to take a league-minimum deal to get back in the NHL.
While fans are often keen for the Canadiens to sign local talent, Veleno is not what Montreal is after this off-season. The first order of business for the Habs is to find some top-six help, be it on the wing or down the middle. That’s not the kind of role the centerman could fill, even though the Tricolore could use a left-shot center for draws. That is not enough to prompt the Canadiens to make an offer to Veleno.
Photo credit: Talia Sprague-Imagn Images
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