Canadiens sign Sasha Pastujov to one-year contract
The Montreal Canadiens have signed winger Sasha Pastujov to a one-year contract with an $850,000 cap hit.
Pastujov was a restricted free agent after the conclusion of his three-year entry-level contract with an $825,000 cap hit. He originally signed the contract in 2021 after he was drafted, but because he spent the following two seasons in the OHL, his ELC slid two seasons and began in the 2023-24 season.
Pastujov’s salary of $850,000 is the league-minimum salary for the 2026-27 season. However, it’s not a guaranteed salary, as he was signed to a two-way contract, so he’ll only have a salary of $105,000 when in the AHL. He is guaranteed at least $30,000 more than his AHL salary, although at this point in time it’s not confirmed if that is because of a signing bonus or something else.
The Canadiens acquired Pastujov from the Anaheim Ducks two and a half weeks ago in an AHL swap which saw them send their 2020 fourth-round pick Sean Farrell the other way. Pastujov was the Ducks’ third-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, and has spent the last three seasons in their minor-league system, largely with the San Diego Gulls.
Pastujov saw his best season yet in the AHL in 2025-26, as he had 21 goals and 36 assists for 57 points in 71 games, with his goal, assist and point totals all being career highs for him. He followed that up with the first Calder Cup Playoff action of his career, where he had one goal in two games.
The Canadiens didn’t have an overly active summer, as outside of a move which sent longtime Hab Brendan Gallagher to the Vancouver Canucks, they didn’t make any changes to their NHL lineup. Most of their notable moves came in extensions to current players, including Ivan Demidov, Jakub Dobes and Kirby Dach. They currently have $9,783,924 in cap space according to PuckPedia with Zack Bolduc and Arber Xhekaj left among their RFAs.
