Canadiens RFA Charles Hudon is closing in on a deal with Lausanne of the Swiss NLA, reports Guillaume Lefrancois of La Presse. TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie adds (Twitter link) that the winger is already in Lausanne and is waiting for his work visa to be approved before he signs the contract.
The 26-year-old opted to not file for arbitration back on Saturday so this may not be a typical loan situation as many players have had over the last couple of months.
Hudon spent most of last season with Laval of the AHL after clearing waivers and was quite productive, notching 27 goals in just 46 games. However, that didn’t carry over to his NHL opportunities as he managed just a goal and an assist in 15 games with Montreal during the regular season and didn’t record a point in two playoff contests. Hudon has had success in the NHL before, posting a 30-point season in 2017-18 but has struggled since then.
Lefrancois notes that Hudon was hopeful of a fresh start somewhere else but clearly, a trade scenario has not yet materialized. If this is a season-long signing and not just a short-term deal until NHL training camps open, it likely wouldn’t be until late March or sometime in April before his season would end which may wind up being around where the NHL trade deadline will be in 2020-21 depending on the length of the campaign. At that time, he could sign with whoever holds his rights or wait it out until next offseason when he’ll be eligible for unrestricted free agency.