Rumor: Montreal Canadiens to Sign KHL Defenseman

The Montreal Canadiens are going to be one of the busiest teams this week when it comes to transactions and it sounds like one deal is already in the books. According to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet, the team is expected to sign KHL defenseman Chris Wideman.

It sounds like Chris Wideman is a good bet to land with the #habs in free agency. The veteran defenceman is coming off a highly productive KHL season and is eligible to sign a NHL contract on Wednesday.

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) July 26, 2021

Wideman is a 30-year-old mobile defenseman who played last season with the Nizhny Novgorod Torpedo, where he had a stellar season with 41 points in 52 games. His last taste of the NHL came in 2018-19 with the Florida Panthers, meanwhile he's also had stops in Ottawa and Edmonton along the way.

The Miami of Ohio University product is known for being able to run a power play, having an extremely high hockey IQ and being able to use his skating abilities to get him out of danger. This is one of the under the radar type of moves that could turn into something bigger. Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin will be a busy man this week, expect to hear a lot out of Montreal. 

PHoto credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports