The AHL’s Laval Rocket are bringing a pair of players into the Montreal Canadiens organization. They’ve signed one-year contracts with defenseman Tobie Paquette-Bisson and goalie Strauss Mann, bolstering their depth as Laval looks to improve on a middling 2022-23 campaign.
Paquette-Bisson, 26, spent last season under NHL contract with the Los Angeles Kings and was not issued a qualifying offer, meaning the organization let his rights lapse. Before that, though, he had spent two seasons with Laval on AHL deals, posting 26 points in 83 games. The undrafted left-shot defender will once again gun for playing time in Laval alongside Montreal’s defense prospects.
They’ve also brought in Mann, who also became an unrestricted free agent after the San Jose Sharks opted not to qualify him last week. The University of Michigan grad brings Olympic experience to Laval, and was a rather promising signing for San Jose after a strong first professional season overseas in Sweden. However, he posted just an .894 save percentage in 20 games with the AHL Barracuda and couldn’t quite find his footing. The 24-year-old will look to get back on track in Laval and earn another NHL deal as soon as possible.
More from around the league today:
- The Pittsburgh Penguins plan on bringing goalie prospect Joel Blomqvist to North America next season, says director of player development Tom Kostopoulos. The team’s 2020 second-round pick has played almost exclusively in Finland since being drafted, save for a few spotty appearances stateside after his season ended overseas. He took a step back last season after posting an insane .940 save percentage in 20 Liiga games in 2021-22, still managing a shutout and .907 save percentage in 21 games with Karpat. He’ll command a lot of playing time with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton next season.
- The Chicago Blackhawks expect forward prospect Cole Guttman will be available to start camp after undergoing shoulder surgery near the end of last season, says AHL Rockford head coach Anders Sorensen. Guttman, a free agent signing out of the University of Denver, posted an impressive 30 points in 39 games with Rockford last year and added four goals and six points in 14 NHL games with Chicago. It’s not clear whether he’ll start 2023-24 in the NHL or AHL at this time.