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Joe Veleno is (really) no Christian Dvorak in the face-off circle

Originally posted on Dose.ca | Last updated Jul 16, 2025 1:29 PM ET

The Canadiens have acquired the services of Joe Veleno. He will earn $900,000 over one year on a one-tier contract.

This means the club has added depth at center. The chances of Owen Beck or Oliver Kapanen starting the NHL season didn’t improve this morning, anyway.

He joins Nick Suzuki, Kirby Dach, Alex Newhook and Jake Evans among the club’s centers.

Of course, even though he was a first-round pick in the old days and was allowed to play at age 15 in the Q, we agree that he wasn’t brought in to play with Ivan Demidov.

In the best-case scenario, it’s to be the center of the third line. At best, that is.

Because no, the Québécois isn’t perfect. He’s had a negative differential for years, he’s not the toughest, he has no playoff experience, he’s not a defensive marvel, he’s just been bought out by the Kraken, and so on.

I’m not saying that I’m against the signing, because at that price, I like the gamble. But let’s face it: it’s a depth signing.

(Credit: Hockey DB)

Veleno’s big advantage is that he’s a left-handed center. And the Canadiens don’t have many of those in the NHL. There’s Alex Newhook and… Zachary Bolduc, for example?

Of necessity, Veleno becomes the face-off option for a left-handed player. In 2024-2025, Veleno maintained an efficiency of 47.2% in Detroit and 46.1% in Chicago, which is better than Newhook.

Jake Evans: 52.9
Nick Suzuki: 51.6
Alex Newhook: 42.8
Kirby Dach: 40.3

So clearly, Veleno isn’t Christian Dvorak, who was at 55.8% with the Habs in 2024-2025.

Will Nick Suzuki and Jake Evans be asked for more, even though they’re right-handers? It’s not a possibility that should be ruled out, in my opinion.

extension

Veleno can’t play in the Canadiens’ top-6 (unless there’s a drastic change) and more than ever, the race for second center will probably be between Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook.

Unless Zachary Bolduc mixes things up?

This article first appeared on Dose.ca and was syndicated with permission.

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