TSN.ca Staff
6/24/2010 1:49:23 PM
Two days after locking up centreman Tomas Plekanec and forward Mathieu Darche, the Montreal Canadiens have made qualifying offers to forwards Maxim Lapierre, Tom Pyatt and Sergei Kostitsyn, defenceman Mathieu Carle, as well as goaltender Carey Price; all of which are set to become restricted free agents on July 1.
Forward Benoit Pouliot, acquired by the Canadiens midway through last season, was not among the players who received a qualifying offer. The team has until June 28 to make a qualifying offer or he becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1.
Pouliot scored nine goals in his first 13 games with the Habs, and finished the regular season with 17 goals and two assists.
Price, who was 13-20-5 with a 2.77 average and a .912 save percentage, is all but assured to be the team’s top starter. The Canadiens traded Jaroslav Halak to the St. Louis Blues earlier this month, handing Price the keys to the crease.
Lapierre finished last season’s campaign with seven goals and seven assists with a minus- 14 in 76 games.
Kostitsyn, who had difficulty getting into the lineup on a regular basis, posting seven goals and 11 assists in 47 games.
Pyatt was acquired from the New York Rangers last summer, along with Scott Gomez, and spent half of last season with the AHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs; posting 13 goals and 22 assists in 41 games. While playing with the Canadiens, he posted two goals and three assists in 40 games.
Carle spent all but three games with the AHL’s Bulldogs since being drafted by the Canadiens in the 2nd round (53rd overall) in 2006. In his three stints with the Habs, he had zero points and was a plus- 1.