Habs Relinquish Rights to Rhett Pitlick

Late last month, reports surfaced that prospect Rhett Pitlick had completed his course load and was pondering free agency.  That is indeed the case as the winger is no longer on Montreal’s reserve list, meaning his rights no longer belong to them.

The 23-year-old was a fifth-round pick by the Canadiens back in 2019, going 131st overall after a strong performance at the high school level.  However, he waited two years before going to college, joining the University of Minnesota for the 2021-22 season.

After a quiet freshman year, Pitlick was better in his sophomore season, notching 25 points in 40 games.  He followed that up with 19 goals and 17 assists in 39 games last season, looking like a prospect on the rise in the process.  However, he was notably absent from development camp last month.

Below is the relevant snippet from Sec. 8.6 (c)(iv) of the CBA which pertains to Pitlick’s situation:

If a Player drafted at age 18 or 19, who had received a Bona Fide Offer in
accordance with Section 8.6(a)(ii) above, becomes a bona fide college
student prior to the second June 1 following his selection in the Entry
Draft and does not remain a bona fide college student through the
graduation of his college class, his drafting Club shall retain exclusive
rights for the negotiation of his services until the later of: (a) the fourth
June 1 following his selection in the Entry Draft, or (b) thirty (30) days
after NHL Central Registry receives notice that the Player is no longer a
bona fide college student…

This isn’t a case of Pitlick not hanging around through the graduation of his college class.  Instead, he completed his course load over three years while it has been more than four years since the Habs drafted him which makes him eligible to elect free agency.  Having said that, he may still have to wait until after August 15th before he can sign.

I can’t pinpoint exactly when Pitlick came off Montreal’s list.  He was there in early July despite not being in training camp and wasn’t on it today when I looked again so it happened sometime in that four-week stretch.

A year ago, it looked like Pitlick was trending toward not being signed but his strong season last year could have put him on the radar.  Instead, it looks like he’ll be going elsewhere if he’s able to land an NHL contract.