Former Detroit Red Wings forward Joe Veleno, who was a first-round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, has experienced an eventful few months, though his offensive output has remained limited. On March 7th, Veleno was traded from Detroit to the Chicago Blackhawks, where he finished out the regular season. Chicago then included him in a trade package to the Seattle Kraken in exchange for Andre Burakovsky.
Now, Veleno is returning home. After the Kraken acquired him during the final year of his contract, the Quebec native from Kirkland became a free agent and signed a one-year, $900,000 contract with the Montreal Canadiens.
Veleno has already begun to settle in, sharing selfies from the Canadiens’ dressing room at Bell Centre. Notably, his first regular-season game representing Montreal will be against his former team, the Red Wings, at Little Caesars Arena during the 2025-26 home opener.
Veleno expressed some disappointment about his final season and a half with Detroit, especially since injuries to teammates like Dylan Larkin in March 2024 gave him multiple opportunities to play on Detroit’s top center line. Between March 2nd and April 1st, he scored goals but had no assists across 15 games.
Before being traded this season to Chicago, Veleno recorded five goals and five assists in 56 games with Detroit, then added three goals and four assists in 18 games with the Blackhawks. Now, he has a chance to revive his NHL career by playing for his hometown team.
Veleno’s upcoming schedule includes games back at Little Caesars Arena with Montreal on October 9th, January 10th, and March 19th.
Fan Take: Joe Veleno’s return to his hometown Canadiens offers a compelling storyline for fans, blending local pride with the chance for redemption. This move highlights how career paths in the NHL can shift unexpectedly, and it could inject new energy into both Veleno’s play and the Canadiens’ lineup.
