HabsWorld.net -- 

Marc Bergevin’s first order of business when free agency opened was to take care of one of his own players.  On Wednesday, the team inked blueliner Greg Pateryn to a two year extension reportedly worth a total of $1.6 million.

Pateryn spent the bulk of the 2014-15 season with the AHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs and he didn’t have quite the impact he did in 2013-14.  He collected just 15 points in 53 games with the Bulldogs (compared to 15 goals and 34 points in 68 games the year before) but spent a lot of his time in a shutdown role.

Late in the year, he got his chance to make a mark with the big club and he took full advantage.  He was recalled shortly after the trade deadline (on March 13th) and stayed with the Habs the rest of the way.  Pateryn got into 17 regular season games with Montreal, going pointless but averaged just shy of three hits per game while averaging 12:39 of ice time per game.

He also suited up for seven postseason contests after Nathan Beaulieu was injured.  He picked three assists but saw his ice time scaled back to just under eleven minutes per game.

Pateryn already is under contract for the coming season and the new deal will have no effect on his $562,500 cap hit. He will have to clear waivers beginning in 2015-16; this signing suggests they had little intention to try to pass him through the waiver wire.

Pateryn’s Stats: