Joel Armia signed with the Montreal Canadiens in 2018 in a deal that saw the Habs take Steve Mason’s contract off the Winnipeg Jets’ hands. In return, the Habs received Armia and a couple of draft picks in what looked like a tip for services rendered.
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The Finn was coming off his second professional contract and had a cap hit of $925,000 annually. Marc Bergevin signed the former Buffalo Sabres first-round pick to a one-year pact, which doubled his cap hit.
The following Summer, he gave him a 2-year contract extension worth $2.6 M per. He finished that contract as the Canadiens reached the Stanley Cup final, with Armia scoring eight points in 21 games. A performance that convinced the former GM to sign him to a four-year deal with a $3.4 M annual average value.
In the first three years of that extension, no matter how many games he played, Armia only scored 14 points, and toward the end of the third year, he had become many fans’ whipping boy.
Last Season
The start of the last campaign was a stark wake-up call for the 30-year-old Pori native. After a good training camp from Jesse Ylonen, who would have had to clear waivers to be sent down to Laval, Armia found himself on waivers instead. The risk of him being claimed was much lower, and as expected, he cleared and reported to Laval.
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Instead of pouting about it, he rolled up his sleeves and gathered five points in four games with the AHL affiliate. As a result, the Canadiens called him up as soon as they needed reinforcements and he scored in his first game back. However, he went pointless in his next five games, making the Canadiens send him back down in mid-November.
He once again put on his working boots and gathered four points in as many games in Laval to earn his second and last call-up of the season, as that one stuck. Montreal was once again hit by numerous injuries, meaning there was room again for the winger.
In the end, he played 66 games with the Habs last season and scored 25 points, the third-highest point total of his career.
What to Expect
Armia is now entering the final season of the four-year extension Bergevin signed him to before being given his marching orders. This means he needs to deliver if he wants to earn a contract extension or another contract as a free agent next season.
Since the start of training camp, he’s been on a line with Jake Evans and Brendan Gallagher with good results….