Canadiens re-sign center Lukas Vejdemo

On their off-day between Games 3 and 4 in their Stanley Cup semifinal, the Montreal Canadiens have taken care of one of their pending free agents, announcing the re-signing of center Lukas Vejdemo to a one-year, two-way contract.  The deal is worth the NHL league minimum salary of $750K with a $175K AHL salary and a total guarantee of $215K.

The 25-year-old was a third-round pick of Montreal back in 2015 (85th overall) and has been a depth option for them in recent years. While he played in seven NHL games in 2019-20 (scoring once), he didn’t see any action with the Canadiens this season. He started off the year on loan to Sodertalje in Sweden’s Allsvenskan before returning for training camp. Vejdemo played in 27 games with AHL Laval this season, notching seven goals and six assists and was among Montreal’s list of Black Ace recalls heading into training camp.

Vejdemo was eligible to test the open market this summer as a Group Six unrestricted free agent but instead will likely play a similar role for the Canadiens next season as a depth option to recall if injuries strike. He will be eligible for waivers for the first time next season but with his limited NHL experience, it seems likely that he will pass through unclaimed in training camp.