The Canadiens Are Giving Sasha Pastujov One More Chance
The Montreal Canadiens didn't exactly make headlines when they acquired Sasha Pastujov from Anaheim last month. It was a one-for-one trade, with Sean Farrell going to the Ducks, and neither player has established himself as an NHL regular. But there is something interesting about what Montreal has done since.
The Canadiens have now signed Pastujov to a one-year, two-way contract, giving the 23-year-old another opportunity to prove that his game can eventually translate to the NHL. Pastujov is coming off a pretty good season with the San Diego Gulls, scoring 21 goals and 57 points in 71 games. He led the Gulls in assists and points and finished second in goals. That doesn't make him an NHL player. But it does make him an interesting player to watch.
What is Pastujov’s background?
Pastujov was a third-round pick of the Anaheim Ducks in 2021, and he has now spent three seasons in the American Hockey League without making his NHL debut. That's usually the point in a prospect's career when patience starts to run out. Instead, Montreal has essentially said, let's see what happens. And that's what makes this a worthwhile little move.
The Canadiens don't need him to make the opening-night roster. Montreal has a young forward group with plenty of competition for NHL jobs, and Pastujov is expected to begin the season in the minors. What the Canadiens have done is give themselves another player who has demonstrated that he can produce at the professional level. Pastujov has 48 goals and 77 assists in 160 career AHL games, so last season wasn't exactly a fluke out of nowhere.
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Now comes the hard part for Pastujov.
At 23, Pastujov isn't a youngster anymore. The window to turn AHL production into an NHL career doesn't stay open forever. He needs to show that he can produce consistently in the American League enough to force Montreal to give him an opportunity. And that's probably exactly what Kent Hughes is hoping to see.
The Canadiens are in a pretty good position to take chances like this. They have young players coming, they have competition throughout the organization, and they don't have to force Pastujov into the NHL before he's ready. Maybe he becomes another useful depth forward.
Maybe he gets an opportunity when injuries hit and surprises somebody. Or maybe he becomes one of those players who scores a lot in the AHL but never quite makes the final jump.
The Canadiens have taken a gamble on Pastujov.
But for Montreal, it's relatively inexpensive. And sometimes these are the moves that end up being more interesting than the big ones. The Canadiens didn't acquire Pastujov because they knew he’d be an NHL player. They acquired him because they think there's still a chance. Now they're giving him a season to prove them right.