The Canadiens have made a small addition to their prospect pool as CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that they’ve acquired the rights to forward Jakov Novak from the Senators in exchange for future considerations.
The 24-year-old was a seventh-round pick by the Sens back in 2018 (188th overall) after a strong showing with Janesville of the NAHL. Novak went on to play three seasons at Bentley University before transferring to Northeastern for the final two years of his college career. Last season, he posted eight goals and four assists in 35 NCAA contests before turning pro, signing with Allen of the ECHL, Ottawa’s affiliate in that league. At that level, he got into 14 games and fared well, collecting seven goals and five helpers.
It was believed that Novak’s NHL rights would have lapsed back in mid-August but that wasn’t the case on a technicality since he had already signed an AHL contract with Laval, Montreal’s farm team. Now, the two sides have finalized the rights swap, giving the Canadiens the ability to sign him to an entry-level deal if they so desire.