The Montreal Canadiens have signed college free agent Lucas Condotta to a one-year, entry-level contract. The deal begins in 2022-23 and will carry an NHL cap hit of $830K. Condotta will join the Laval Rocket on a professional tryout agreement for the rest of the season.
Undrafted, the 24-year-old forward has spent the last four seasons at UMass-Lowell, only really becoming a consistent offensive presence this year. As a senior, he scored ten goals and 23 points in 33 games, play that reminded of his days in the OJHL where he was an offensive star.
He also served as captain this season for the River Hawks, and trailed only Andre Lee–recently signed to an entry-level contract with the Los Angeles Kings–and Carl Berglund in team scoring.
While this obviously isn’t a turning point for the organization, it is the first time that new manager Kent Hughes has dipped into the college free agent waters. Whether that becomes a trend for the Canadiens remains to be seen, but with his and Jeff Gorton’s background, it certainly wouldn’t be surprising.
Imagine if Will Smith was white