Stu Cowan: A take a look at some former Canadiens who’ve discovered new groups

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Canadiens followers will see some acquainted faces in new locations when the NHL season begins.

It is going to begin on opening night time Oct. 11 when the Canadiens face the Maple Leafs and Max Domi in Toronto.

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Domi is one in all a number of former Canadiens who’ve signed with new groups as free brokers this summer time.

Domi is coming into his ninth NHL season and the Leafs will likely be his seventh crew, following stints with Arizona, the Canadiens, Columbus, Carolina, Chicago and Dallas.

The 28-year-old had 20-36-56 totals in 80 video games final season break up between Chicago and Dallas and added 3-10-13 totals in 19 playoff video games with the Stars. The Leafs signed him to a one-year deal value US$3 million — the identical quantity he earned final season on a one-year free-agent deal he signed with the Blackhawks.

Domi set profession highs in targets and factors when he posted 28-44-72 totals in 82 video games with the Canadiens in 2018-19 and it wouldn’t be a shock if he comes near these totals enjoying in Toronto.

He’ll embrace the intense Toronto highlight, identical to his father, Tie, did throughout his 12 seasons with the Leafs.

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Right here’s the place another former Canadiens will likely be enjoying this season.

Corey Perry: The 38-year-old will likely be on the Bell Centre for the Canadiens’ dwelling opener on Oct. 14 as a member of the Blackhawks after signing a one-year, US$4-million contract that included a US$2-million signing bonus.

It’s an enormous increase for Perry, who solely earned US$775,000 throughout his one season with the Canadiens in 2020-21 once they went to the Stanley Cup remaining and he earned US$1 million in every of the final two seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning. In keeping with CapFriendly.com, Perry has earned greater than US$92 million throughout his 18-year profession.

Perry had 12-13-25 totals in 81 video games final season with the Lightning and was a team-worst minus-28. However the Blackhawks imagine the $4 million will likely be cash nicely spent to have Perry’s veteran presence round Connor Bedard, the No. 1 total choose at this 12 months’s NHL Draft. Perry was the Anaheim Geese’ first-round choose (twenty eighth total) on the 2003 draft, which was held two years earlier than Bedard was born.

Jonathan Drouin: It will likely be very fascinating to see how Drouin does with the Colorado Avalanche after six irritating seasons with the Canadiens when he had an annual salary-cap hit of US$5.5 million.

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Drouin scored 13 targets throughout his first season with the Canadiens and 18 targets in his second season. Throughout his final 4 seasons in Montreal, Drouin scored a complete of 17 targets whereas lacking 128 video games on account of bodily accidents and a mental-health problem.

The 28-year-old signed a one-year, US$825,000 contract with the Avalanche, the place he will likely be reunited with Nathan MacKinnon, his junior teammate with the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads once they received the Memorial Cup in 2013.

Drouin solely scored two targets final season, however he had 27 assists to rank second on the Canadiens behind captain Nick Suzuki (40), regardless of lacking 24 video games due to accidents. If he can keep wholesome (a giant if), it wouldn’t be a shock to see Drouin hit the 50-point mark in Colorado. His profession excessive for factors is 53.

Max Pacioretty: The previous Canadiens captain is coming off a tricky season with Carolina after tearing his proper Achilles tendon final summer time after which struggling the identical harm once more after enjoying solely 5 video games with the Hurricanes and scoring three targets.

After finishing a four-year, US$28-million contract he signed with the Vegas Golden Knights after they acquired him from the Canadiens within the Suzuki deal, Pacioretty has signed a one-year, US$2-million contract with the Washington Capitals that additionally has $2 million in performance-based incentives.

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The 34-year-old Pacioretty can nonetheless rating, however can he keep wholesome?

Lars Eller: The Canadiens traded Eller to Washington on June 24, 2016, in change for a second-round choose on the 2017 NHL Draft (ahead Joni Ikonen) and a second-round choose on the 2018 draft (goalie Olivier Rodrigue).

Eller spent seven seasons with the Capitals and scored the Stanley Cup-winning purpose for them in 2018 earlier than being dealt to the Avalanche forward of final season’s NHL commerce deadline. The 34-year-old will likely be coming into his fifteenth NHL season after signing a two-year, US$4.9-million contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Ryan Poehling: The Canadiens’ first-round choose (twenty fifth total) on the 2017 NHL Draft solely lasted one season in Pittsburgh, posting 7-7-14 totals in 53 video games, after being packaged with Jeff Petry within the commerce final summer time that introduced Mike Matheson to Montreal. Now Petry is again with the Canadiens (not less than in the meanwhile following one other commerce final weekend) and Poehling is with the Philadelphia Flyers after signing a one-year deal value US$1.4 million.

Victor Mete: Keep in mind when Mete was Shea Weber’s associate on the Canadiens’ No. 1 defence pairing as a rookie to begin the 2017-18 season? That’s how unhealthy Montreal’s depth on defence was again then.

Now, the 25-year-old Mete is with the Flyers after signing a one-year, two-way contract that can pay him US$775,000 within the NHL and US$450,000 within the AHL. Mete was restricted to 11 video games final season with the Maple Leafs due to a lower-body harm.

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