According to Elliotte Friedman of CBC and Sportsnet, the Montreal Canadiens have re-signed defenseman Nathan Beaulieu to a two-year contract, worth $1 million AAV.
Nathan Beaulieu 2 year extension, $1M AAV
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) June 13, 2015
After signing defenseman Jeff Petry to a six-year contract, General Manager Marc Bergevin was left with only a couple million left to re-sign both Beaulieu and center/winger Alex Galchenyuk. This morning, the announcement was made and Beaulieu was signed to a very budget-friendly deal. Beaulieu has shown signs of being capable of playing in a top-four role. Already occupying those spots are Andrei Markov, PK Subban and the newly-signed Petry, and with a fourth spot open, Beaulieu will be battling it out with the likes of Alexei Emelin and Tom Gilbert. Worst case scenario, he plays bottom pairing minutes at a million bucks per year. Best case scenario, he’s an insanely cheap second-pairing defenseman.
Last season, Beaulieu appeared in 64 games and put up eight points (1 goal, 7 assists) while average 15:41 of ice-time. The 2011th 17th overall pick of the Canadiens also tasted some time on the powerplay, averaging 44 seconds and putting up two assists. He still has some untapped potential when it comes to the offense side of the game, the 22-year-old is gifted with incredible stick-handling and smooth skating. A little more time on the powerplay could prove to be beneficial for the young blue-liner.
Beaulieu also played in the first three games of the first round against the Ottawa Senators in this year’s post-season, however he went down to injury in game three after he took a hit from Erik Karlsson. Initially believed to be a concussion, Beaulieu later revealed it was a fractured sternum bone that took him out. When asked about the tinted visor he wore during practice, Beaulieu said it was just a rouse to throw off the media. Beaulieu returned in the playoffs after he recovered quickly, playing in the final two games of the second round against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Now, all eyes are on two players: Galchenyuk and defensive prospect Jarred Tinordi. At the age of 23, Tinordi’s future may hang in the balance this off-season, as he has yet to secure a permanent roster position with the Canadiens. With seven defenseman under contract for the 2015-16 season and Tinordi currently a restricted free agent, the seventh defenseman position could come down to a battle between Tinordi and Greg Pateryn.
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