Canadiens sign AHL team's leading scorer to multi-year contract
The Montreal Canadiens are rewarding a player on their AHL affiliate with a multi-year contract.
This morning the club announced that they had signed forward Brandon Gignac to a two-year two-way contract. Gignac has been fantastic playing for the Laval Rocket this year, leading the team with 14 goals and 42 points this season. That is 10 more points than Joshua Roy, who is second on the team with 32 points.
The Canadiens have agreed to terms on a two-year, two-way contract (2023-24 to 2024-25) with forward Brandon Gignac.
Read ↓ #GoHabsGo https://t.co/PX7oAm3G2T
— Canadiens MontrĂ©al (@CanadiensMTL) February 4, 2024
The 26-year-old Gignac has had quite a whirlwind of a hockey career. He was initially drafted in the third round by the New Jersey Devils back in 2016. After five seasons playing with the Albany Devils in the AHL and getting just a single game in the NHL, the Devils decided not to qualify Gignac in the summer of 2021.
With that, he was able to secure an AHL deal with the Rocket, where he finally found his stride. Gignac had 26 and 33 points respectively in his first two seasons with Laval before exploding to nearly a point per game this season.
Given that the Canadiens are still in the midst of a rebuild, it’s no surprise that the team is willing to give the late-bloomer a look on a two-year deal. According to Sportsnet’s Eric Engels, the contract put Gignac on the NHL roster, which means that he will be practicing with the Canadiens at some point today.
Brandon Gignac’s contract puts him on the NHL roster. So he’ll be practising with the Canadiens today.
— Eric Engels (@EricEngels) February 4, 2024
Whether this means he will get a shot in the NHL right away is unclear. If he does get the call, it will most likely be in a bottom-six role. His addition would make sense, considering the team recently traded away centerman Sean Monahan to the Winnipeg Jets just a few days ago and need a replacement.
Follow Channels and Categories