The 32-year-old could have been an unrestricted free agent July 13. He led Canadiens defensemen with 23 assists, and his 27 points were tied with Jeff Petry for first at the position.
"It felt right," Wideman said. "This year was obviously tough for our team but on a personal level, an opportunity for me to play in the NHL and reestablish myself in the League. Just the way that I felt that I fit in with the group on and off the ice. Those things are invaluable when you're making a decision as a player. We love the city, my wife and I, so we're very happy to be back and it was almost easy decision."
Wideman has 72 points (20 goals, 52 assists) in 245 NHL games for the Ottawa Senators, Edmonton Oilers, Florida Panthers and Canadiens. He played the 2019-20 season for San Diego of the American Hockey League and 2020-21 for Torpedo Nizhny in the Kontinental Hockey League.
The Canadiens won the NHL Draft Lottery on May 10 and will have the No. 1 pick in the 2022 Upper Deck NHL Draft at Bell Centre in Montreal on July 7-8 after finishing 22-49-11, last in the NHL standings.
"Having the opportunity to be in Montreal for two years was something I was very interested in when the opportunity came available," Wideman said. "It was something that I didn't think twice on. Some of the emotions that I had toward the end of the season playing with some of these guys that I've become pretty close with, it would have been hard leaving and going somewhere else. And that was on a last place team, so I can't imagine how much fun it's going to be when we're playing a lot better this year and even the year after."
Martin St. Louis agreed to a three-year contract on June 1 to remain coach. He replaced Dominique Ducharme on Feb. 9 after the Canadiens won eight of their first 45 games (8-30-7).
Carey Price said June 3 that he doesn't know what his future holds as Canadiens goalie while recovering from knee surgery but will get ready for next season as if he'll be playing. The 34-year-old said a platelet-rich plasma injection is among the measures he's taken since Montreal's season ended and he's waiting for the procedure to have its full effect before beginning preparations.
The Canadiens aren't expecting much clarity on Price's future until July at the earliest. General manager Kent Hughes said he'd like to have an idea of where things stand with Price before the start of NHL free agency.
