Four players will be released by the organization very soon

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Elias Edmonson
June 15, 2023 (5:00 PM)

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Kent Hughes will have some very big decisions to make this summer regarding several players whose contracts are expiring. In fact, there are currently rumors circulating related to four players who may have played their last match in the Montreal Canadiens' uniform.

According to what was reported by The Athletic, Jonathan Drouin will not be receiving a contract extension from the general manager of the Canadiens, which means he will be testing the free agent market for the very first time in his career on July 1st.

In addition, as we mentioned this morning, Kent Hughes will not qualify the $2.9 million offer planned for Denis Gurianov. However, the Canadiens would be interested in keeping him with the team for the next season if the Russian forward is willing to sign a one-season deal at a much lower salary when he becomes a free agent in a few days.

As for Alex Belzile, all signs point to him testing the free agent market, as he is absolutely looking to sign a one-way contract in the NHL. For now, the general manager of the Canadiens seems to have more important issues to resolve and it would therefore be surprising if a deal is signed in the next few weeks.

However, the Quebecer admitted that he would like to stay in Montreal next season so there may be a possibility of him signing a contract similar to that of Michael Pezzetta in mid-July.

Finally, the last player who might leave the organization soon is Sean Monahan. Besides Jonathan Toews and Ryan O'Reilly, very few centers will be available this summer and the 28-year-old forward could represent a very interesting option. Kent Hughes would be open to the idea of bringing him back with the Canadiens, but it remains to be seen if the interest is mutual and if the Canadiens will be able to compete with the other teams ready to offer him a contract.

Sources: TVA Sports