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The same issue persists within the Canadiens and the Rocket: there's a serious surplus of defensemen. Kent Hughes has a lot of work to do to improve the situation because, at the moment, there are players who deserve to play but aren't getting much ice time.
A trade seems to be in the works, according to Rocket's insider, Anthony Marcotte. Honestly, I believe that several trades would be beneficial in this regard.
"Is a trade in the works?
I wouldn't be surprised if a trade happens soon with the Rocket. We find ourselves again with 8 healthy defensemen, with the possibility that another defenseman from Montreal might be added, perhaps even for a 2-week conditioning stint. Gustav Lindstrom hasn't played since December 9th. The Canadiens seem to fear losing him on waivers; otherwise, he would already be back with the Rocket.
You can feel that Jean-François Houle would like to use Olivier Galipeau and Nicolas Beaudin more. For now, Mattias Norlinder is preferred over them, but he's not having a good season with only 2 points and a -19 in 21 games. Do they want to showcase him? It's possible. In Galipeau's case, here's a player who never hesitates to block shots and sacrifice himself for the team. As for Beaudin, he just had his second appearance in the Spengler Cup, where he had a very respectable ice time. I would like to see him get a real chance, which he hasn't had yet this year.
Meanwhile, defensemen Miguel Tourigny, Noah Laaouan, and Christopher Ortiz are all waiting for a chance to prove themselves in the American Hockey League. None of them have been called up from Trois-Rivières so far, despite all having contracts with the Laval Rocket. [...]
To be continued..."
I wouldn't be surprised if a trade happens soon with the Rocket. We find ourselves again with 8 healthy defensemen, with the possibility that another defenseman from Montreal might be added, perhaps even for a 2-week conditioning stint. Gustav Lindstrom hasn't played since December 9th. The Canadiens seem to fear losing him on waivers; otherwise, he would already be back with the Rocket.
You can feel that Jean-François Houle would like to use Olivier Galipeau and Nicolas Beaudin more. For now, Mattias Norlinder is preferred over them, but he's not having a good season with only 2 points and a -19 in 21 games. Do they want to showcase him? It's possible. In Galipeau's case, here's a player who never hesitates to block shots and sacrifice himself for the team. As for Beaudin, he just had his second appearance in the Spengler Cup, where he had a very respectable ice time. I would like to see him get a real chance, which he hasn't had yet this year.
Meanwhile, defensemen Miguel Tourigny, Noah Laaouan, and Christopher Ortiz are all waiting for a chance to prove themselves in the American Hockey League. None of them have been called up from Trois-Rivières so far, despite all having contracts with the Laval Rocket. [...]
To be continued..."
Arber Xhekaj and Logan Mailloux will likely deserve a call-up from the Canadiens in the near future, and Lane Hutson, as well as David Reinbacher, could both join one of the two teams this year.
It's a good problem to have, but if left unaddressed, Kent Hughes could regret it. There will come a time when he'll have no choice but to expose some players to waivers and potentially lose them for nothing, or simply let them go during the summer.
Previously on All Habs
| POLL | ||
JANVIER 6 | 569 ANSWERS A trade involving a young defenseman is imminent for Kent Hughes and the Canadiens, according to Anthony Marcotte In your opinion, which defenseman will be the first to go? | ||
| Mattias Norlinder | 146 | 25.7 % |
| Gustav Lindstrom | 225 | 39.5 % |
| Other | 146 | 25.7 % |
| None | 52 | 9.1 % |
| List of polls | ||