The Montreal Canadiens AHL affiliate informed their veteran goaltender that his services will not be retained for the upcoming season.

In a video published on his YouTube account, Kasimir Kaskisuo announced that he will not be returning with the Laval Rocket. The organization informed his agent that they would be heading in another direction. 

“My full focus was to go back [in Laval] and hopefully that was going to work out. I figured it was going to be 50/50 that I was going to be the guy to fill that role,” said the Vantaa, Finland native.

Kaskisuo signed a professional tryout (PTO) contract with the Rocket on December 18 after a shaky start in between the pipes by rookies Jakub Dobes and Strauss Mann. His presence helped Dobes stabilize his performances and finish the season strong. 

The 30-year-old began his stint with the Canadiens AHL affiliate by winning his first five decisions. His arrival also coincided with Laval gaining momentum and closing the gap in the standings after starting the year with five wins in 22 games. 

His performances led management to convert the PTO to a standard AHL contract. The veteran finished the season with 7-4 record, 2.90 goals against average, and .909 save percentage. 

“The season went great and I did everything I could. I only played 13 games with the few months that I had and if you would have asked me before I started playing that it would be the stat line that I had and able to bring to the team, I would have been ecstatic. I feel that I did the best that I could and I’m happy with that,” noted the goalie.

The writing was on the wall that Kaskisuo's time with the Rocket was coming to an end when the Canadiens signed Connor Hughes to a one-year two-way NHL contract for the 2024-25 season. 

“I did see that they signed a goalie from Europe to fill that spot in the minor league. When it’s a free agent coming from Europe, the deal could have been made 2-3 months ago and those conversations could have taken place months ago. Nothing maybe I could have even done to change that,” observed Kaskisuo.

The six-foot, three-inch goalie that has also spent time in the Toronto Maple Leafs and Nashville Predators organizations has begun looking at depth charts around the AHL to target teams for next season. 

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