Canadiens cut Gurianov and one other player loose ahead of free agency

The Montreal Canadiens chose not to give qualifying offers to Denis Gurianov and Joel Teasdale, meaning both will become UFAs once free agency gets underway.

The Canadiens acquired Gurianov in a deal near the 2023 trade deadline that saw Evgenii Dadonov head to the Dallas Stars. The 26-year-old scored five goals and eight points in his 23 games with the Habs, giving him season totals of seven goals and 17 points in 66 games.

After scoring 20 goals in 64 games during the 2019-20 season, Gurianov has struggled to produce in the NHL. While he certainly has the skill, his lack of consistency may make it hard to find another NHL contract. He entered this past season on a one-year deal with a cap hit of $2.9 million.

Teasdale is coming off a season spent mainly with Laval Rocket in the AHL. In 58 games, the 24-year-old winger scored 23 goals and 38 points. He was also able to suit up in the NHL for the first time this season, notching an assist in two games. Similar to Gurianov, he was on a one-year contract, though he had a cap hit of just $750,000.

While Gurianov and Teasdale failed to receive qualifying offers from the Canadiens, several other players did. Offers were made to Alex Newhook, Rafael Harvey-Pinard, Jesse Ylonen, Lucas Condotta, Mitchell Stephens, and Nicolas Beaudin.

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