The Maple Leafs have put Benoit-Olivier Groulx on waivers, and that gives Kent Hughes and the Canadiens a no-cost decision to make before tomorrow’s deadline.
Groulx, 26, was born in Rouen, France and was taken by Anaheim in the second round, 54th overall, in the 2018 NHL Draft. Toronto has used him in seven games this season, but he hasn’t put up a point.
Over his NHL career, he has four goals and six assists in 85 games. He’s listed at 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, and his contract runs out at the end of the season.
Hughes wasn’t exactly quiet over the weekend, either. Friedman reported that he tried to build a three-team deal with Pittsburgh in an effort to land Kirill Marchenko.
For Montreal, the timing makes this an easy name to circle. The Canadiens have won five straight, are 9-3-2, and sit fifth in the NHL standings.
When a team is rolling like that, there’s no urgency to start changing the mix - but waivers are different. A claim doesn’t cost a draft pick or a prospect, so Groulx is at least a player Hughes can weigh without paying a price.
Toronto, for its part, is 8-6-2 and 12th in the league. The Leafs are simply moving on from a player who hasn’t produced this season, and that’s where things stand for now.
There was another waiver note around the league as well. Dylan McIlrath cleared waivers today after Washington placed him on waivers Sunday.
The 34-year-old defenseman is 6-foot-5, has appeared in four games this season, and has four penalty minutes. The Capitals were coming off a 5-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild.
And while the waiver wire is one part of the picture, Montreal’s own pipeline keeps offering reminders of what’s coming behind the NHL roster. Owen Protz’s heavy hit with the Laval Rocket stood out as another example of the physical edge being developed inside the organization.
The Canadiens are back in action tomorrow against the Winnipeg Jets, and Hughes has until then to decide whether Groulx becomes his next low-risk move.
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