Since the opening of free agency, several hometown players have decided to leave the Montreal Canadiens organization. Jonathan Drouin, Alex Belzile, Anthony Richard, and Pierrick Dubé have all signed contracts with other NHL teams in search of better opportunities.
In fact, we have just learned that veteran Peter Abbandonato has also joined this group, as he signed a one-year, two-way (AHL) contract with the Chicago Wolves. This is certainly a significant loss for the Laval Rocket, as the 25-year-old forward finished second on the team with 46 points in 66 games last season.
Defenseman Tory Dello has also followed his teammate by signing a one-year contract with the American team. It's worth noting that starting next season, the Wolves will be the only independent team in the AHL, no longer serving as the farm team for the Carolina Hurricanes.
Considering that several prospects from the organization will make the jump to the professional ranks in the 2023-2024 season, the departure of some veterans was unfortunately expected.