The Trois-Rivières Lions have started the offseason by making their first big roster call, and it leaves seven players out of the Montreal Canadiens organization’s ECHL affiliate without a qualifying offer.
On Wednesday, the Lions announced their qualifying offers, using all eight of the spots allowed under ECHL rules. That means eight players from the club’s end-of-season roster are still in the fold for now, while the rest have been released and are now unrestricted free agents.
Up front, the players who received qualifying offers are Isaac Dufort, Mathieu Bizier, Logan Nijhoff, Ben Hawerchuk, and Nicholas Girouard. On defense, the Lions extended offers to Wyatt McLeod, Kale McCallum, and Jacob Dion.
Those names are the ones to watch as the summer unfolds, especially with McLeod, McCallum, and Dion among the players who could be in the mix for Montreal Canadiens training camp in September.
The qualifying offers stay valid until July 22, and the players who received them cannot be traded before that date.
The Lions’ roster picture is already starting to take shape, but it is far from finished. As noted in recent days, Laferrière, Beauregard, Charron, Lapenna, and Fuller had already locked in their future with the organization by signing before the deadline.
Even with Wednesday’s list in place, the final version of the Lions could look quite different by the time summer is over. The biggest question now is how many of the qualified players will actually accept those offers.
And there’s still more movement to come. Montreal Canadiens prospects, along with players from the Laval Rocket, are expected to join the group before next season begins.
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