The Montreal Canadiens have convinced one of their international draft picks to sign his first NHL contract. The team announced today that they’ve agreed to terms with Lukas Vejdemo on a two-year entry-level contract that will begin next season. CapFriendly provides the financial breakdown:
- 2018-19: $650K salary, $92.5K signing bonus, $182.5K performance bonus
- 2019-20: $750K salary, $92.5K signing bonus, $82.5K performance bonus
The contract, like any other entry-level deal, is two-way and will pay him a lower amount whenever playing for the Laval Rocket.
Vejdemo, 22, was selected in the third round of the 2015 draft and has been a full-time player in the SHL for the last three seasons. Though his point totals were still relatively low this season—22 in 47 games—that’s partly because of his role down in the lineup for Djurgardens. His overall play was quite good, and has earned him a chance to jump to North America and test himself against AHL competition.
It’s very unlikely that Vejdemo would make the Montreal roster out of camp, but he’s a legitimate NHL prospect that the Canadiens can add to their minor league system and continue to develop. The Laval team was atrocious this season, and needed a boost of talent that Vejdemo can provide.
I’ve liked Vejdemo for a while. He’s big, he’s a centre and I think he has more offensive potential than his numbers suggest. He’s been playing more of a defensive/shutdown role the past 3 years but he did tear up the junior leagues in Sweden as a teenager. One thing is for sure, Laval is going to have a lot more talent than they did this past season and that’ll go a long way to help the Habs deal with injuries.