Unexpected turn of events regarding forward Denis Gurianov
On February 26th, the Montreal Canadiens traded Evgenii Dadonov to the Dallas Stars in return for 26-year-old forward, Denis Gurianov. Many fans at the time mentioned that this was an absolute steal by Kent Hughes and that the Russian player could develop his full potential in a new setup.
However, that unfortunately wasn't what happened. Although he had some good times with the Canadiens, his glaring lack of consistency was a recurring issue in his 23 games played with the Canadiens. For his part, Dadonov scored 15 points in 23 games before adding 4 goals and 6 assists in 16 matches during the playoffs.
Eligible for a qualifying offer of 2.9 million dollars this summer, Denis Gurianov's stay in Montreal already seemed to be coming to an end. However, Arpon Basu just revealed some very important information in his article on The Athletic website.
Indeed, Kent Hughes does not wish to offer him a qualifying offer nearing three million dollars, but he would like to bring him back with the Canadiens if the forward agrees to sign a less lucrative contract when the free agent market opens. The Canadiens' general manager had used a similar procedure with Rem Pitlick last summer before granting him a two-year agreement with an annual value of 1.1 million dollars.
Wow! We thought his time with the CH was already over, but it wouldn't be surprising if he was back with the team in 2023-2024. Gifted with a lightning shot and exceptional skating, Denis Gurianov has been unable to establish himself as a front-line attacker since his debut in the NHL. Now 26 years old, it would be surprising to see the forward make a significant breakthrough next season.
In your opinion, should the Canadiens offer him a one-year contract extension worth 1.5 million dollars?
Sources : The Athletic
| POLL | ||
Should the Canadiens offer Denis Gurianov a one-year contract worth 1.5 million dollars? | ||
| Yes | 160 | 71.1 % |
| No | 65 | 28.9 % |
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