The Canadiens are staring at a crowded blue line, and that squeeze could put a young player on waivers before camp is over.
Kent Hughes suddenly has something he hasn’t had in a while: more NHL-caliber defensemen than lineup spots. That sounds like a nice problem, and it is, but it also means the front office is going to have to make a hard call.
Not too long ago, fans could pretty much pencil in the whole defense corps before training camp wrapped up. That’s not the case anymore.
The depth chart looks a lot different now, and even a strong camp may not be enough to guarantee a place in Montreal. Some of those defenders could end up headed to Laval.
The math is plain enough. Seven defensemen.
Seven spots. But hockey rarely stays that simple once camp starts.
Three more players are also trying to force their way into the picture, which only makes the battle more crowded.
One thing gives David Reinbacher an important edge in all of this: right-shot defensemen are hard to find, and among the 10 defensemen in the mix, only Carrier, Dobson and Reinbacher shoot right. That’s a valuable profile anywhere in the NHL.
Then there’s the waiver issue, and that’s where the pressure really kicks in. Only Reinbacher and Engstrom are waiver-exempt, which gives the Canadiens more room to maneuver with those two than with the rest of the group.
If the team wants to send Struble, Xhekaj or Szuber to Laval, it would have to expose them to waivers first. That creates real risk, since any one of them could be lost for nothing.
And the situation isn’t stopping there, because the next wave of defensemen is still coming along.
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Montreal has tried its share of alternates over the years, from centennial and Winter Classic specials to other one-off throwbacks, with reception that has ranged from enthusiastic to lukewarm. The one design many supporters would rather forget is the powder blue reverse retro, a tribute to the long-gone Expos that became tied as much to ugly results as to the cross-sport nod. For a franchise built on tradition, the debate may already be settled. [Read more 🡒]
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What makes the story more interesting is the price tag the Canadiens would be looking for if they ever decided to seriously entertain a deal. Montreal is not treating Xhekaj like a spare part, and that matters in a market where rumors can outrun reality pretty quickly. For a team trying to keep building a sturdier defense, the question is not just who wants him, but whether the return would be worth changing the makeup of the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Stars Suddenly Have A Larkin Question Fans Can't Ignore
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Dylan Larkin has added another layer to the noise, with reports suggesting he would accept a move to certain clubs, but the salary cap and the cost in assets still make any deal complicated. For Montreal, that keeps the discussion in the realm of rumor and possibility rather than momentum, and it leaves the real question hanging in the background of all this buzz: whether the Canadiens can put together the kind of package Columbus would actually want. [Read more 🡒]