Habs sign Jan Mysak
The pandemic has forced Jan Mysak to play in Laval this season and he has impressed the Canadiens as the team announced that they’ve signed the 18-year-old to a three-year, entry-level contract. The deal will begin in the 2021-22 season that carries an AAV of just over $850,000 and could go as high as $925,000 with performance bonuses.
Details of the contract are as follows:
2021-22: $750,000 NHL salary, $80,000 AHL salary, $92,500 signing bonus, $82,500 performance bonus
2022-23: $750,000 NHL salary, $80,000 AHL salary, $92,500 signing bonus, $82,500 performance bonus
2023-24: $775,000 NHL salary, $80,000 AHL salary, $92,500 signing bonus, $57,500 performance bonus
Mysak was a second-round pick of the Habs 48th overall back in October, one spot after they selected Luke Tuch. He split last season between the Czech Extraliga with Litvinov before coming to North America after the World Juniors to play with Hamilton of the OHL. With the Bulldogs, he had 15 goals and 10 assists in just 22 games, strong numbers for a draft-eligible player.
Things weren’t going as well for him this season, however. On loan to Litvinov in the early going, he had just one assist in 11 games before joining the Czechs for the World Juniors where he had two goals and an assist in five contests. He once again opted to remain in North America in anticipation of an OHL season that has been delayed multiple times and still hasn’t started yet.
That allowed him to go to Laval when their season started and after playing a limited role early on, he worked his way into a regular spot on the fourth line. His numbers – two goals and no assists in 13 games – don’t jump out but as one of the youngest players in the league, the fact he was able to carve out a regular role before being injured is impressive in itself. There’s no timetable for his return.
Next season, assuming the OHL is up and running by then, Mysak will actually be ineligible to play in Laval. Taking a step back may not be the worst thing in the world as it would allow him to work more on his offensive game after not getting many of those opportunities this year. If he does wind up back in junior, the deal is eligible to slide a season and run from 2022-23 through 2024-25.
Mysak’s Stats:
In other news Tuesday, Montreal recalled Cayden Primeau to the taxi squad. Carey Price is not accompanying the team on the trip to Toronto due to an injury sustained last night against Edmonton. The Canadiens can apply for a cap-exempt recall to bring one of Primeau or Charlie Lindgren onto the roster since they can’t afford to bring one of them up. If Joel Armia is unable to return tomorrow and remains on the COVID Protocol Related Absences list, they will also be able to apply for a cap-exempt recall for Jake Evans to get back to 12 healthy forwards on the roster.