On the last day to sign non-NCAA and non-Russian prospects selected in the 2022 NHL Draft, the Montreal Canadiens have not signed Cedrick Guindon (127th overall), Petteri Nurmi (194th overall), and Miguel Tourigny (216th). The players will be free to re-enter the 2024 draft now that the Habs have relinquished their rights.
Cedrick Guindon is perhaps the most surprising player on the list given the forward depth in the organization. However, he never took the steps you’d expect from a prospect, and the 30 goals he scored in his draft year still stand as the high-water mark of his Junior career. In 2023-24, he had two fewer points than he produced in his draft season.
Petteri Nurmi was already an over-age player when the Canadiens selected him two years ago. The 22-year-old defenceman had 16 points this season with Liiga’s HPK, but was also a -9, a second consecutive year sporting a negative goal differential.
Miguel Tourigny was an interesting case of a player who had completed his Junior eligibility when he was drafted and was therefore free to play elsewhere in his draft-plus-one season. He played last season in Slovakia before returning to North America to continue his professional career in the ECHL. He dressed for 61 games with the Lions de Trois-Rivières this season, scoring nine goals and adding 29 assists, then contributing three assists in six post-season games. Like Nurmi, he didn’t display the NHL potential to force the Canadiens to squeeze him into an already overflowing cupboard of blue-line prospects.
Montreal did sign one of the players whose rights were set to expire today. Jared Davidson, who played this year in the AHL on a minor-league deal, received a two-year entry-level contract on Friday. The centre is expected to rejoin the Laval Rocket again in the fall.
The final prospect whose rights are set to expire this year is Blake Biondi. The forward selected in 2020 played for four years with the University of Minnesota, and has transferred to Notre Dame for his final collegiate season. Montreal has until August 15 to make a decision on his future with the organization.
