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Alex Barre-Boulet

Canadiens Notes: Hutson, Laine, Free Agents, Dach

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Lane Hutson put up historic numbers in his rookie season, and the Canadiens will look to capitalize on that by discussing a long-term extension as he enters the final season of his entry-level contract, general manager Kent Hughes said today (writes Marco D’Amico of RG). He’s not eligible to put pen to paper on a deal until July 1, but doing so immediately would prevent Hutson from a potentially testy ride through restricted free agency in 2026 and allow the Habs to achieve long-term cost certainty before he potentially increases his value in his sophomore campaign.

Hutson’s likely Calder-winning campaign needs no introduction. The 5’9″ defenseman exploded for 66 points in all 82 regular-season games, tying Lightning star Victor Hedman for sixth in the league in scoring among rearguards and leading all rookies in scoring. Not only does that make him the highest-scoring rookie defenseman in Montreal’s 107-year NHL history, but his 60 assists also tied Larry Murphy for most by a first-year blue liner.

Regardless of when they reach an extension, it’s a foregone conclusion they won’t be able to keep him under the internal salary hierarchy they stuck to when negotiating star winger Cole Caufield’s eight-year extension two summers ago. They’ve yet to sign a deal eclipsing captain Nick Suzuki’s $7.875MM cap hit since he signed that deal in 2021. Patrik Laine is technically the team’s highest-paid player at an $8.7MM cap hit, but they acquired that contract via trade. After seeing youngsters like Flames winger Matthew Coronato land a long-term deal at $6.5MM annually, Hughes will almost certainly have to go into the $8-9MM range on a new deal for Hutson.

There’s more on the Canadiens:

  • While it wasn’t a glowing end to the season for Laine, Hughes credits his impact earlier in the year as instrumental in Montreal’s postseason berth (per D’Amico). The 27-year-old managed 20 goals and 33 points in 52 games after a quicker-than-expected return from a preseason knee injury, but 75% of his goals and 63% of his points came on the power play. His 5-on-5 possession numbers were among the worst on the club with a 43.0 CF% and led to diminished usage in Games 1 and 2 of their first-round series against the Capitals before a broken finger sidelined him for the final three games of their season.
  • Hughes hasn’t made a decision either way on whether to pursue contract extensions with the team’s slate of pending unrestricted free agents, notes D’Amico. Luckily for him, he doesn’t have many of those decisions to make. One has already been made for him on defenseman David Savard, who announced his retirement. The comprehensive list of others includes NHL-rostered forwards Joel Armia, Christian Dvorak, and Michael Pezzetta; minor-league centers Alex Barré-Boulet and Brandon Gignac; and depth netminder Connor Hughes.
  • The Canadiens “haven’t given up” on 24-year-old center Kirby Dach after a second major procedure on his right knee in as many years, D’Amico writes. Nonetheless, he relays executive vice president Jeff Gorton “didn’t look overly confident” when discussing Dach and notes he’ll need an eye-opening training camp to regain a top-six role. After playing just twice in the 2023-24 campaign, Dach’s performance wasn’t pretty in 2024-25 before the knee injury ended his campaign in February. He scored 22 points with a team-worst -29 rating in 57 games.

Canadiens Place Alex Barre-Boulet On Waivers

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The Montreal Canadiens have placed winger Alex Barre-Boulet on waivers for the purpose of assignment to the AHL. Barre-Boulet signed a one-year, two-way contract with Montreal on July 1st and made the team out of training camp. He’s since filled a fourth-line role for Montreal’s first two games of the season, though he failed to record a point and served as a health scratch on Saturday.

Barre-Boulet has played in the AHL in each of the last six seasons, kicking his career off on an undrafted free-agent deal with the Syracuse Crunch in 2018. He potted a dazzling 68 points, split evenly, in 74 games as an AHL rookie, quickly earning a confident top-six role. He continued his hot scoring through the 2019-20 season, netting 56 points in 60 games and earning the first NHL contract of his career. But Barre-Boulet wasn’t able to find the same production through appearances with Tampa Bay in 2020-21 and 2021-22, ultimately scoring just eight points in his first 29 NHL games.

Seattle claimed Barre-Boulet from the Lightning early into the 2021-22 season but only iced him in two scoreless games before waiving him themselves, allowing Tampa to reclaim him. He was a Kraken for just 10 days, and would proceed the vacation with his first point-per-game season in the AHL, netting 63 points in 58 games. That point-per-game scoring continued through 2022-23, earning Barre-Boulet the first extended NHL stay of his career last season. But he stayed in his rut, netting just nine points in 36 games. A deal with Montreal this summer was supposed to bring a change of scenery capable of sparking Barre-Boulet’s career – which seemed possible when he made the Canadiens roster out of camp – but instead he finds himself on waivers for the sixth time in his career. He’s scored 302 points in 294 career AHL games and brings exciting upside to the AHL’s Laval Rocket, should he clear waivers.

Canadiens Sign Alex Barré-Boulet

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The Canadiens have signed depth forward Alex Barré-Boulet to a one-year, league minimum contract, TVA’s Renaud Lavoie reports. It will be Barré-Boulet’s second departure from the Lightning organization since being claimed on waivers from the Seattle Kraken during the 2021-22 regular season.

It was only two years ago that Barré-Boulet appeared to be one of the emerging prospects in the Lightning organization. In 127 games for Tampa Bay’s AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, between 2021 and 2023, Barré-Boulet scored 40 goals and 147 points without ever getting much of an opportunity at the NHL level. He finally managed to crack the Lightning’s roster this past season but the team was unwilling to use him as any more than a depth option.

In 36 games for Tampa Bay this past season, Barré-Boulet scored six goals and nine points in total while averaging 11:11 of ice time per game. Barré-Boulet played fairly well in the possession game as evidenced by his 14 takeaways compared to nine giveaways and his 52.7% CorsiFor%.

As he returns to his native Quebec, the Canadiens should be able to give Barré-Boulet an increased opportunity in their forward core. Barré-Boulet’s eventual role could be dictated by the situations of Christian Dvorak and Joel Armia. If Montreal is forced to keep both players, Barré-Boulet will likely be subjected to a bottom-six role. However, if the Canadiens can move on from Dvorak and Armia this offseason, Barré-Boulet may see his role elevated into a middle-six option.

Lightning Recall Max Crozier, Assign Alex Barre-Boulet To AHL

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The Lightning made a pair of roster moves in advance of their game this afternoon against the Islanders, announcing they’ve recalled defenseman Max Crozier from AHL Syracuse.  To make room on the roster, winger Alex Barre-Boulet was sent to the Crunch.

Crozier has played in seven games for Tampa Bay this season, all coming last month.  The 23-year-old has a pair of assists in those outings along with ten hits and ten blocks while averaging 14:30 per night in his first taste of NHL action.  Crozier also has played in 32 games with Syracuse, collecting a goal and seven assists.  His recall is likely a precautionary one with Erik Cernak’s status being uncertain for this game having missed Thursday’s contest.

As for Barre-Boulet, his demotion shouldn’t come as much of a surprise after he cleared waivers on Friday.  The 26-year-old has six goals and three assists in 36 games with the Lightning so far and has yet to see any action in the minors despite also clearing waivers at the beginning of the season.  Barre-Boulet finished second in AHL scoring last season with 84 points in 69 games and will be a big boost to a Syracuse team that enters play today four points out of first in the North Division.

Lightning Place Alex Barre-Boulet On Waivers

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Feb. 23: Barre-Boulet cleared waivers on Friday, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The Lightning may now assign him to AHL Syracuse at their discretion.

Feb. 22: The Tampa Bay Lightning have placed forward Alex Barre-Boulet on waivers, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. This move corresponds with their recalling of Cole Koepke this morning. Barre-Boulet has appeared in 36 games with Tampa this season, scoring six goals and nine points. It’s the first time that the 26-year-old has played in 20 or more NHL games in one season, with much of his career being spent in the minor leagues up to this point.

Barre-Boulet has earned an NHL role after an explosive season in the AHL last year that saw him score 24 goals and 84 points in 69 games. That mark ranked second among all AHL skaters in scoring, just one point behind Arizona Coyote Michael Carcone, who managed 31 goals and 85 points in 65 games. Barre-Boulet’s career-high productivity last year maintained a trend of scoring he’s established in the minors, totaling 283 points across 271 career AHL games.

This includes 68 points, split evenly, in 74 games during the 2018-19 season, Barre-Boulet’s first season as a pro. No AHL rookie has topped his rookie year production, though Buffalo Sabres forward John-Jason Peterka managed to tie the scoring in four fewer games in 2021-22. But unlike Peterka, who has 19 goals and 37 points in 56 NHL games this season, Barre-Boulet has yet to find his scoring groove at the top level. He’s managed just 18 points in his first 68 career games, dating back to his debut in the 2020-21 season.

Barre-Boulet is no stranger to waivers, with this move marking the fifth time he’s been waived in his career. He’s also not a stranger to changing teams as a result, joining the Seattle Kraken as a waiver claim for a brief two games before the Kraken waived him as well and Tampa reclaimed him.

Lightning Recall Alex Barre-Boulet, Place Tyler Motte On IR

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Alex Barre-Boulet’s stint in the minors was short-lived as the Lightning announced that they’ve recalled the winger from AHL Syracuse.  To make room for him on the roster, winger Tyler Motte was placed on injured reserve, a move that will keep him out of the lineup for the next week.

Barre-Boulet cleared waivers just yesterday after starting the year on Tampa Bay’s roster for cap-related purposes, allowing the Lightning to maximize their LTIR pool.  The 26-year-old is coming off a career year in the minors, notching 84 points in 69 games with the Crunch last season, good for second in the league in points while he led the league in assists with 60.

As for Motte, he suffered a hand injury in Tuesday’s season opener against Nashville.  The 28-year-old was a late signee with the Lightning, only getting a one-year, $800K contract after Josh Archibald decided against playing this season.  Austin Watson will likely take Motte’s place in the lineup on the fourth line after his PTO was converted to a one-year contract earlier this week.

Lightning Recall Zach Bogosian

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The Tampa Bay Lightning recalled veteran defenseman Zach Bogosian from the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch today, according to CapFriendly. A spot opened up on the roster after forward Alex Barré-Boulet cleared waivers today, and he was assigned to Syracuse in a corresponding transaction.

Bogosian, 33, was waived just a few days ago as a casualty of the Lightning’s moves to capture the highest possible accruable cap space limit before placing netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy on in-season LTIR. After Barré-Boulet sat as a scratch for yesterday’s season-opening win against the Nashville Predators, Bogosian will now return to the team moving forward.

Recalling the 226-pound right-shot defender gives Tampa eight defensemen on the active roster alongside 13 forwards, although only 12 of them are healthy. Tyler Motte sustained an undisclosed injury in the third period yesterday, and assistant coach Jeff Blashill informed reporters today that Motte is listed as day-to-day. Blashill also mentioned the possibility of recalling Barré-Boulet or Gabriel Fortier if they need another healthy forward, but that would require returning Bogosian to Syracuse as they’re up against the 23-player roster limit. Bogosian has 30 days or 10 games played before he requires waivers again to head to the minors.

Bogosian is in the final season of a three-year, $2.55MM deal signed with Tampa in the summer of 2021. The deal’s paid off, as Bogosian has provided some solid veteran duties but now finds himself slipping out of an everyday role. He hasn’t eclipsed the 60-game mark since 2018-19 with the Buffalo Sabres. He recorded five points in 46 games last season, recording a -4 rating and logging 42 penalty minutes.

Waivers: 10/10/23

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Oct. 11, 1:03 p.m.: All three players have cleared waivers, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

Oct. 10, 1:45 p.m.: Although not as busy as the past few days, there’s still some activity on the waiver wire today. The lone player on waivers yesterday, New York Islanders forward Ross Johnston, was claimed today by the Anaheim Ducks.

Los Angeles Kings

G David Rittich

Tampa Bay Lightning

F Alex Barré-Boulet

Toronto Maple Leafs

F Bobby McMann

The most notable name here is Rittich, a 31-year-old Czech netminder who has 172 games of NHL experience. Though the number of clubs rostering three goalies to start the season might point to a heightened risk of goaltenders getting claimed off of waivers, the fact that Martin Jones, who played in 48 games last season, cleared waivers does bode well for the Kings’ likelihood of passing Rittich through.

Rittich is playing on a one-year, $875k contract and is set to be the Kings’ third goalie behind Pheonix Copley and Cam Talbot. Last season, Rittich was Connor Hellebuyck’s backup and went 9-8-1 with a .901 save percentage and 2.67 goals against average.

Gone are the days when Rittich was a borderline starter-level netminder as he was with the Calgary Flames, and although public expected goals models were down on his work last season, there could be NHL teams in need of goalies who believe he still has something to offer at the game’s highest level.

Barré-Boulet, 26, is an undersized, undrafted former QMJHL star who has become a top player in the AHL for the Syracuse Crunch. He made the AHL’s First All-Star team last season after scoring 84 points last season, by far a team lead, but so far hasn’t been able to translate that success to the NHL level.

The final player on the waiver wire today is McMann, an undrafted forward from the Maple Leafs. The Colgate University product worked his way up from the ECHL to the NHL and was impressive at the AHL level last season, scoring 21 goals in just 30 games.

The energetic winger isn’t exactly the prototypical player that gets claimed off of waivers but perhaps there is a team is intrigued enough by his minor-league goal-scoring and endearing style to put in a claim.

East Notes: Andersen, Zamula, Lightning

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While the Hurricanes didn’t have goaltender Frederik Andersen available to them in last night’s overtime victory, he might not miss much more time.  Luke DeCock of the Raleigh News and Observer notes that the veteran skated today, suggesting he could be available to dress as early as Friday’s contest.  Andersen actually led Carolina in starts this season with 33 while posting a 2.48 GAA and a .903 SV% but it seems likely that he’ll need to wait a little longer to make his playoff debut with the Hurricanes as with Antti Raanta winning both starts so far in their series against the Islanders, it’s safe to say the net will still be his even if Andersen is ready to return.

Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference:

  • The Flyers’ AHL affiliate in Lehigh Valley announced that defenseman Yegor Zamula underwent successful shoulder surgery back on April 10th, ending his season. While the 23-year-old won’t be able to play in Lehigh Valley’s playoff run, he will be ready to participate in training camp in September.  Zamula played in 14 games with Philadelphia this season, picking up four assists in 14 games while chipping in with a goal and 18 helpers in 44 contests with the Phantoms.
  • While they weren’t in uniform tonight, the Lightning have recalled defenseman Philippe Myers and winger Alex Barre-Boulet from AHL Syracuse, relays Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). The pair were listed on the roster report as healthy scratches.  With Syracuse not playing in the first round of the playoffs in the minors, it’s possible that the two players will stay up with Tampa Bay for a few days.  Myers played in 11 games this season with the Lightning while Barre-Boulet suited up just once.

Tampa Bay Lightning Re-Assign Alex Barre-Boulet

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Nov 28: Barre-Boulet has been returned to the AHL after playing in one game with the Lightning.

Nov 25: The Tampa Bay Lightning will bring an extra forward into action tonight against the St. Louis Blues, recalling Alex Barre-Boulet from the minor leagues. Pierre-Edouard Bellemare is away from the team for personal reasons and won’t play.

Barre-Boulet, 25, is once again showing how easily he can dominate the minor leagues, with 24 points in his first 16 AHL games this season. While only four of those are goals, he continues to be one of the top playmakers for the Syracuse Crunch, a role he has held since the moment he stepped foot on a professional hockey rink.

Signed as an undrafted free agent, his scoring touch goes much further back than that even. In his final year with the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada of the QMJHL, he racked up 53 goals and 116 points in 65 regular season games. The talented, but undersized, forward is a perfect depth player to have in the system, even if it has only resulted in 31 games of NHL experience to this point.

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