Blake Biondi // Photo by Loren Nelson, SportsEngine
The Montreal Canadiens have drafted quite a few players over the years, but the 50-contract limit imposed by the NHL means they must be selective with who they sign.
The Canadiens have had to make some tough decisions recently, having selected over 40 players in the last four drafts.
In June, the Canadiens made the choice to allow the rights of prospects Cedrick Guindon, Petteri Nurmi and Miguel Tourigny to expire after June 1.
That's because the NHL has two years to sign players out of the CHL and must sign their European prospects before the age of 22.
The Canadiens’ exclusive rights to Guindon (CHL), Tourigny (CHL) and Nurmi (Liiga) were thus allowed to expire just two years after being drafted in 2022.
But, for their NCAA-based prospects, August 15 is the date to keep in mind, as some prospects were set to see their rights expire this year.
NCAA Eligibility Rules
The NHL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) allows NHL four years (or the summer following the prospects college graduation) to sign a prospect drafted out of the NCAA.
That means that if a player has graduated or completed four years in the NCAA, NHL teams have until August 15 of that given year to sign them.
The Canadiens had a few prospects in this situation, such as Luke Tuch, who would have become a free agent on August 16 had he not signed his 2-year entry-level contract earlier this year.
But some prospects who began their NCAA careers in 2020 or later were in a bit of a grey area when it came to their status with their respective NHL teams.
That’s because there’s currently an exception in the NCAA that has had a direct impact on the verbiage of the NHL’s CBA as it pertains to the exclusive rights of NCAA players.
Due to many NCAA athletes missing out on playing for their respective universities during their shortened or canceled 2020-21 seasons, players were given the right to extend their eligibility by a year as an exception.
That meant that they could continue their college careers by playing a fifth year in the NCAA, thereby delaying their graduation and the expiration of their NHL rights by one year longer than the NHL’s CBA usually permits.
It could be a little confusing for many, but thankfully, 2025 is expected to be the last year this NCAA exception will be in place.
Tough Decisions for The Canadiens
Looking to clarify the situation, the Montreal Canadiens have confirmed to RG that they have allowed their exclusive rights to prospects Rhett Pitlick and Blake Biondi to expire, but surprisingly retained the rights to Ty Smilanic.
Rhett Pitlick was initially drafted by the Canadiens in the 5th round of the 2019 NHL Draft. He was a standout for the Minnesota University Golden Gophers as a senior this year, but, with the Canadiens looking to get bigger, he wasn’t tendered a contract offer.
Pitlick has only played three seasons in the NCAA and is about to begin his senior year at Minnesota University. However, having been drafted over five years ago, the Canadiens were in their right to cut him loose, as first reported by TVA Sports.
Blake Biondi presented a more complicated case, due to the abovementioned NCAA exception. Biondi, who was selected in the 4th round of the 2020 NHL Draft, looked like a promising prospect for the Canadiens in his first few seasons but seemingly hit a roadblock in his junior season. After a serious injury kept him out for most of that year, Biondi was never able to get back to his early scoring touch.
The Canadiens could have held onto his rights for another year, as the NCAA exception allows. Still, after four years of affiliation, the necessary work was done to sever ties between the player and the organization.
The case of Ty Smilanic is even more fascinating and confusing; depending on which way you look at it.
Originally drafted by the Florida Panthers, Smilanic was acquired in the Ben Chiarot trade with the Panthers just prior to the 2022 NHL Trade Deadline.
He left the NCAA just before the start of his senior year in September 2023 to try his hand at pro hockey, and, after attending both the Montreal Canadiens’ and Laval Rocket’s training camps, ultimately landed in the ECHL with the Trois Rivières Lions. His time there had some highs and lows but ultimately ended in disappointment.
Despite being drafted out of the NCAA, Smilanic never finished his degree before turning pro in the fall of 2023. That left him in a grey area within the CBA, as it would normally have meant that the 22-year-old should be a free agent at the moment.
However, even though he is currently without a contract, Smilanic remains Canadiens property.
The Benefit of Longer Evaluation
By being selective with their remaining contract slots, the Canadiens can evaluate bringing in prospects with a higher likelihood of making the NHL.
Unlike drafting out of the CHL, players drafted out of Europe or the NCAA offer NHL teams extra runway to evaluate them in that process.
European prospects, outside of Russians playing in Russia, are the property of their respective NHL clubs until they become free agents at the age of 22.
Drafting players out of the CHL only gives NHL teams two years before having to decide whether to sign them or cut them loose, which isn’t ideal.
This is why the Canadiens have drafted from various leagues and drafted a growing number of overage players.
It's an interesting strategy. Now, let's see how it plays out for them moving forward.
Marco D'Amico is a beat reporter covering the Montreal Canadiens and the NHL Draft, while also being a recurring guest on TSN690 and BPM Sports. His work primarily on NHL CBA breakdowns and prospect analysis, all while covering the Montreal Canadiens on a day-to-day basis.
