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The Montreal Canadiens Sign RFA Forward

Originally posted on The Sick Podcast | By Nick Lariviere | Last updated Aug 13, 2026 6:28 PM ET

The Montreal Canadiens signed RFA forward Sasha Pastuljov to a one-year two-way contract on Thursday.

Pastuljov was acquired by the Montreal Canadiens from the Anaheim Ducks in a trade for forward Sean Farrell back on July 27th.

The 23-year-old will be looking to make some noise at Montreal Canadiens training camp. He is coming off a career-high 21 goals and 57 points in 71 games with the San Diego Gulls during the 2025-26. In three seasons with the Gulls, Pastuljov put up a total of 48 goals and 77 assists for 125 points in 160 games.

Les Canadiens s'entendent sur les termes d’un contrat d’une saison (2026-2027) à deux volets avec l’attaquant Sasha Pastujov.

The Canadiens have agreed to terms on a one-year, two-way contract (2026-27) with forward Sasha Pastujov.#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/id8kL7s2Tz

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) August 13, 2026

Despite his solid AHL production, he has yet to be given a chance to play at the NHL level. The main reason for this seems to come down to having had to deal with logjam of forwards on the roster, leading to the former third rounder to never get his chance.

With that being said, there appears to be a roster spot in the NHL open for a forward in Montreal and Pastuljov is a dark horse to take it. He will be fighting with fellow newly acquired forward Brett Berard, as well as highly touted prospects Owen Beck and Florian Xhekaj, for that role. The player that has the best camp of the four forwards could very likely make the opening-night roster.

Even if Pastuljov doesn’t make the Montreal Canadiens out of training camp, he provides the organization with great depth and can potentially be a call-up at some point in case of injury to finally get his first taste of NHL action. At the very least, he will be an offensive threat that could lead the Laval Rocket in points this upcoming season.

The 2026-27 season could be a big one for Pastuljov, who may break out into an NHL player or prove once and for all that he is just a great producer in the minors.

Do you think Pastuljov has a chance at making the Montreal Canadiens in training camp?

This article first appeared on The Sick Podcast and was syndicated with permission.

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