February 10, 2023
The Montreal Canadiens have extended rookie defenseman Jordan Harris
The Montreal Canadiens today announced a contract extension for rookie blue-liner Jordan Harris. The two-year contract extension will run through to the end of the 2024-25 campaign, and will pay an average annual of $1.4-million per season.
Harris is in his first full season with the Canadiens, having joined the team signed with the team last last season following the end of his season with Northeastern University in the NCAA. The Massachusetts native joined the Habs for the final ten games of the NHL season that year, and made the team out of training camp this year. Harris, 22, has two goals and 10 assists in 57 career games with the Canadiens.
See Also: Several Habs could be on their way out come trade deadline
Harris is one of five rookie defensemen on the Habs roster this season, alongside Justin Barron, Arber Xhekaj, Johnathan Kovacevic and the injured Kaiden Guhle. All five show a great deal of promise early into their professional careers, but Harris is one of the more intriguing young prospects. This season, Harris has proven himself to be a steady and reliable young defenseman and although his offensive game hasn’t yet translated to the NHL, there have been signs that it is emerging.
“He played four years of college hockey against 23- and 24-year-old players and that prepared him for the next step,” said Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis.
Jordan Harris was drafted 71st overall by the Canadiens in 2018.
In other Canadiens news, forward Jonathan Drouin has returned to practice and could return to the line-up for this weekends pair of matinee games against Bo Horvat and the new look New York Islanders on Saturday, and the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday. Meanwhile, Joel Edmundson and Sean Monahan are also close to a return, with the duo skating for the second consecutive day. Kaiden Guhle also skated prior to practice, well ahead of his expected recovery timeline. It was the first time Guhle had been on the ice since suffering a knee injury against the Florida Panthers on December 29, 2022.
Read More:
>> Canadiens ink Cayden Primeau to three year extension
>> Canadiens sign Kirby Dach to a four year, $13.5M deal
>> Sean Monahan traded to the Montreal Canadiens
Elsewhere around the league, Kieffer Bellows, the son of former Montreal Canadiens Brian Bellows, has again found himself on waivers. The Philadelphia Flyers claimed Bellows off waivers from the New York Islanders in October, and waived him in December to send him the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms. The Flyers also waived prospect defenseman Linus Hogberg, who was placed on unconditional waivers for contract termination. And the New York Rangers waived Libor Hajek to make room for Niko Mikkola who was traded to the Rangers alongside Vladimir Tarasenko yesterday.
