Nicolas Beaudin Placed on Unconditional Waivers by the Canadiens

The Canadiens announced on Sunday that they placed Nicolas Beaudin on unconditional waivers for the purpose of terminating his contract. 

The defenseman mentioned on the record that he was unhappy with his ice time with the Laval Rocket. He's been in uniform for 16 of the team's 40 matches this season and totaled six points and plus-2. 

Beaudin requested assistance from his agent Andre Ruel of CAA Hockey to find him more ice time in Laval or another team. Over the holidays, he was loaned for a second consecutive year to represent Canada at the Spengler Cup. 

It is anticipated that 24-year old-will pursue his career in Europe. Since returning from the tournament, teams from Europe inquired whether he is available. Beaudin and the Canadiens had until the European transfer deadline of February 15th to reach an agreement for him to be eligible to head overseas this season.

The Chateauguay, QC native was acquired on October 26th 2022 via trade from the Chicago Blackhawks. He's an offensive type defenseman but the Rocket have Justin Barron, Logan Mailloux, Mattias Norlinder and William Trudeau with similar attributes and well ahead of him on the depth chart. 

With numerous players in front of him remaining healthy, coach Jean-Francois Houle had limited opportunities to dress the 27th overall pick of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. Last season, he played in 39 games, collected 25 points and led the team with plus-17. 

From a Canadiens perspective, the termination creates an extra slot below the 50-contract limit, that can be used before the end of the season. Beaudin was scheduled to become a restricted free agent this summer. 

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