Canadiens 2025-26 Player Previews: Joe Veleno

Veleno may not have been able to produce much offence, but he did bring speed to any lineup. He finished 2024-25 in the league’s 76th percentile among forwards for speed bursts of 20 to 22 miles per hour (mph) (that’s 32 to 35 kilometres per hour for the rest of the IIHF community). This may prove to be his biggest weapon as a professional player, one that he will need to harness to find any success, especially as he is now considered a complementary player on any line he is added to.

Veleno’s most effective lines last season were while he was with the Red Wings. His best statistical line was not surprisingly with Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond, with a 66.1% expected goals percentage (xG%). On that line, he was shifted to the wing, and his focus was mostly on his passing game. But the line he spent the most time on was one where he was lined up with a big power forward with speed in Michael Rasmussen and a defensively responsible forward in Christian Fisher. In the 15 games they were together, they had an xG% of 57.1%. While with the Blackhawks after the trade deadline, he found moments of success on a line with Lucas Reichel and Nick Foligno (ice time spread over four games), where they had an impressive 72% xG%. All this proves that with very specific roles and linemates who can carry the weight of the defensive responsibilities, Veleno can be effective, at least in short-term roles. 

2025-26 Season Expectations  

The Canadiens signed Veleno as a UFA to a one-year, one-way contract worth $900,000. This means he enters the 2025-26 season with a clean slate, but also one where there will be expectations on him to perform in a bottom-six role effectively. His career high was 28 points in his third NHL season, and the expectations in Montreal, especially if he is provided 12 to 15 minutes per night (he averaged around 12 minutes last season), are that he will generate offence at his career highs to keep pace with what Jake Evans has provided with Montreal each season. More importantly, he will need to be far more disciplined and avoid taking bad penalties that will only hurt the club, such as when he was suspended by the IIHF for stomping on Nino Neiderreiter at the 2023 World Championship.

Veleno has never had a positive plus/minus, and while that stat is not indicative of individual play on its own, his advanced possession statistics also bear out his inability to outperform opponents, especially in a top-six role. At no point has he had a Corsi for percentage, expected goals for percentage, scoring chances for percentage or high danger chances for percentage at 50% or higher. The majority of his advanced possession statistics are all well below the 45% range. 

That being said, he still has some potential to provide some playmaking flair for the Canadiens’ bottom six and to provide some of the offence lost as Christian Dvorak left as a UFA for the Philadelphia Flyers. While Veleno’s possession statistics weren’t very good, his 138 hits last season point to a player willing to engage physically, and his ability to play with pace does fit into head coach Martin St. Louis’ desired archetype of player. If he is willing to buy into the role St. Louis assigns him and follow his direction, this could be Veleno’s last real chance to find his NHL niche and remain an NHL regular. If not, then it was an inexpensive gamble by management to add some centre depth without blocking the development path of any of their prospects.

Fans won’t be racing to social media to leave excited posts about his arrival at training camp or post about their big hopes for his impact. Veleno went from being the first player from Quebec, and only the fifth in Canadian Hockey League (CHL) history, to be granted exceptional player status, allowing him to play major junior hockey at age 15, to being a late first-round pick, to mostly playing in the bottom six while making brief cameos in expanded top-six roles. However, he does still bring some value to an NHL roster.