Report: Canadiens Set To Relinquish The Rights to Two Prospects

August 15th is the deadline for NHL teams to get college-drafted players signed to an entry-level contract if they've completed college, or said teams will lose their exclusive signing rights.

For the Montreal Canadiens, it appears that two recent draftees will be set free to become unrestricted free agents. The team has already confirmed that they will relinquish the rights to Rhett Pitlick, while Marc Dumont of Montreal Hockey Now is suggesting that recent third-round pick Ty Smilanic will be meeting the same fate.

Pitlick, now 23, was drafted in the 5th round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, and spent several seasons in the USHL after his draft year, then went on to the University of Minnesota, where he's spent the last three seasons. He had his most productive year in 2023-24 with the Gophers, notching 19 goals and 36 points in 39 games.

Smilanic came to the Habs in the Ben Chiarot trade with the Florida Panthers back in 2022. But the now-22-year-old struggled in college hockey, and tried a transfer from Quinnipiac to Wisconsin after two seasons, but mental health issues took hold.

"I found myself in a dark place," said Smilanic in reflecting on that time. "It was hard to focus on school and hockey."

He left the Badgers and played the 2023-24 season in the ECHL with the Trois-Rivieres Lions, where he recorded just seven points (one goal) in 31 games.

With a deep prospect pool in Montreal, as Dumont writes, "the bar for entry-level contracts is quickly being raised."

Pittlick and apparently Smilanic are the casualties this time around.