Canadiens sign Joe Veleno to one-year contract
A former high-end prospect is heading back home.
On Wednesday, the Montreal Canadiens announced that the team has signed forward Joe Veleno to a one-year contract. The deal has a reported cap hit of $900,000 through the 2025-26 season.
Pen to paper! The Canadiens have agreed to terms on a one-year, one-way contract with forward Joe Veleno.
News release ↓ #GoHabsGo | Montblanc Boutique Montréalhttps://t.co/CUE2zccT15
Veleno has bounced around the NHL over the past few months. After spending the first five-plus years of his pro career with the Detroit Red Wings organization, the Montreal native was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks at last season’s trade deadline for Petr Mrazek and Craig Smith. Then, after the 2024-25 campaign came to an end, he was sent to the Seattle Kraken in exchange for Andre Burakovsky.
A little over a week later, the Kraken bought out the remainder of Veleno’s contract after clearing waivers. Veleno had one more year on a two-year contract he signed with Detroit, which had a cap hit of $2.275 million.
It has been a bumpy road for Veleno, a former first-round pick in the 2017 NHL Draft. The former Drummondville Voltigeur established himself as an exceptional scorer in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, as well as making his way onto the Team Canada rosters at the 2019 and 2020 IIHF World Junior Championships, helping his country win gold in the latter.
However, Veleno has struggled to find a consistent scoring touch in the NHL. His all-around game has been leaving more to be desired as well. The 25-year-old did post career highs in goals (12), assists (16) and points (18) during the 2023-24 season, but a sluggish start this past year led the Wings’ brass to go in a different direction.
In 306 NHL games, Veleno has scored 38 goals and 43 assists for 81 points.
According to CapWages, the Canadiens are projected to be a little above $3.4 million over the salary cap next season.