Marc Bergevin had five key restricted free agents to make decisions on in Joel Armia, Artturi Lehkonen, Charles Hudon, Mike Reilly, and Brett Kulak. Many thought Michael McCarron wouldn’t be part of that group, but the Montreal Canadiens decided to qualify him ahead of the deadline while leaving the likes of Daniel Audette, Hunter Shinkaruk, and Brett Lernout out on the sidelines to pursue other opportunities.
Since then, four of those six RFAs have been extended. Kulak was one of the first getting a three-year deal worth $1.