Canadiens sign Samuel Poulin, Ethan Samson to one-year deals
The Montreal Canadiens continued their depth signings on Wednesday, signing forward Samuel Poulin and defenseman Ethan Samson to one-year, two-way contracts.
Les Canadiens s'entendent sur les termes de contrats d’une saison à deux volets avec l’attaquant Samuel Poulin et le défenseur Ethan Samson. The Canadiens have agreed to terms on one-year, two-way contracts with forward Samuel Poulin and defenseman Ethan Samson. #GoHabsGo
Poulin, a native of Blainville, Quebec, had 21 goals and 49 points in 71 AHL games between the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and Bakersfield Condors. He also skated in two games with the Penguins, and has two assists in 15 career games, all with Pittsburgh since getting drafted 21st overall in 2019.
Samson, meanwhile, skated in 40 games with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms and Syracuse Crunch in the AHL, registering five goals and 18 points. Samson has yet to play an NHL game sinc getting drafted 174th by the Flyers in 2021.
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Both players are expected to head to the AHL’s Laval Rocket, joining Alex Belzile and Kaapo Kahkonen after their signings earlier in the day.
The Rocket finished the 2025-26 season with a 41-23-8 record before falling in the division semifinal. The team nearly made the Calder Cup Final in 2024-25 after setting a team-best 48 victories in 72 games.
The Canadiens, meanwhile, advanced to the Stanley Cup playoffs for the second straight season. The club eventually lost to the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final, but still showed a serious step forward for a team fresh out of a rebuild.
The Canadiens have around $14 million in cap space, with Kirby Dach, Brett Berard, Zack Bolduc, and Arber Xhekaj among restricted free agents needing new deals.
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