Habs re-sign Sean Farrell, sign Marc Del Gaizo

The Habs took care of one of their restricted free agents on Tuesday along with adding some more defensive depth as they signed Sean Farrell and Marc Del Gaizo to one-year, two-way contracts.

Farrell will make $775,000 in the NHL and $90,000 in the minors with a guaranteed salary of $110,000.  Del Gaizo, meanwhile, will also receive $775,000 in the NHL with an AHL salary of $375,000 and a guaranteed payout of $450,000.

Farrell was a fourth-round pick by the Habs back in 2020 and exclusively played in the minors while on his entry-level contract beyond a six-game stint in 2023 that burned a year of his contract, one that saw him get his first career NHL goal.

Last season, the 23-year-old got off to a rocky start with Laval, dropping down the depth chart to the point of being a healthy scratch briefly.  However, he was able to turn this around after a couple of months, becoming one of their top scorers in the second half of the season.  Overall, Farrell had 20 goals and 24 assists in 67 games in 2024-25 while adding 10 points in 13 playoff contests, doing enough to get a qualifying offer earlier this week.

Farrell is now waiver-eligible moving forward and will need to pass through unclaimed to get back to Laval.

As for Del Gaizo, he split last season between Nashville and their AHL affiliate in Milwaukee, spending more time with the former.  The 25-year-old got into 46 games with the Preds, picking up two goals and seven assists along with 53 blocks and 71 hits in over 16 minutes a night of ice time.  Meanwhile, he had eight goals and four helpers in 30 games with the Admirals.

A 2019 fourth-round pick by Nashville, the 5’11 left-shot blueliner has 55 career NHL appearances under his belt, meaning he qualified for Group Six unrestricted free agency this summer.  If he gets into 25 games or more with the Canadiens next season, he will once again become RFA-eligible with salary arbitration rights.

Del Gaizo is also waiver-eligible and did pass through unclaimed on four separate occasions last season so it’s reasonable to think he will again.  If that happens, he’ll be a top blueliner in Laval.  Alternatively, if the Habs move out some defensive depth, he’s also someone who can comfortably serve as a seventh defenceman with the Canadiens.

Farrell’s Stats:

Del Gaizo’s Stats: