Three NHL waiver moves landed on the same day, but only one of them really carries any real intrigue for the Canadiens.
Jack Rathbone passed through waivers unclaimed, the Edmonton Oilers put Atro Leppanen on waivers before tonight’s game against the Canucks, and the New York Rangers placed James Reimer on unconditional waivers with contract termination on the table.
Rathbone, 27, is the cleanest case of the bunch. The defenseman spent 24 hours on waivers and came out the other side without being claimed.
He has five points in 28 career NHL games and has not played in the league this season. Drafted 95th overall by Vancouver in 2017, he’ll stay with his current organization after clearing.
Reimer’s situation is more dramatic on paper, even if the practical impact is limited. The 38-year-old goalie has played 540 NHL games, but he has appeared only once for the Rangers this season. New York first put him on waivers Thursday, and the move toward contract termination doesn’t really change the picture much.
Leppanen is the most unfamiliar name of the three. The Edmonton defenseman has never played an NHL game and is on a one-year contract worth less than $1 million. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent after the season.
For Montreal, the question is whether any of this is worth acting on. With Kent Hughes’ team playing well, there’s not much reason to shake up the roster for an aging goaltender or an unproven defenseman.
Goaltending is the only area that deserves a closer look. According to Renaud Lavoie, Samuel Montembeault was expected back roughly two weeks after October 25, which could leave Montreal with three goalies to juggle.
Hughes could claim either player without giving up an asset, but neither one solves an obvious problem. For now, the Canadiens have bigger things to worry about. They’re in Toronto tonight, and the priority is keeping their strong start going instead of making a move just to make one.
In Other News...
Canadiens Face One Big Kucherov Question Fans Wont Ignore
Nikita Kucherovs trade request out of Tampa Bay has already become one of the summers most intriguing leaguewide storylines, and Montreal has naturally found its way into the conversation. With the winger entering the final year of his contract, the Lightning are in control of the process for now, which means any serious pursuit would have to navigate both Tampa Bays asking price and a market that figures to heat up quickly.
The Canadiens have been mentioned as a possible suitor, which alone is enough to get attention in Montreal given the kind of impact a player like Kucherov would have. But this is still very much a speculative situation, and the reality is that several teams are expected to be in the mix while the Lightning decide how to handle the trade process. For Canadiens fans, it is the kind of name worth watching closely, even if the road to a deal remains anything but simple. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Suddenly Have Fans Watching Detroit For One Big Reason
Jeff Gortons reported trip to Detroit has given Canadiens fans a new team to monitor, and for good reason. The Montreal executives presence in the city has fueled fresh chatter around the Red Wings, with speculation tying the Canadiens to two players who would instantly draw attention if the rumor mill ever turned into something more concrete.
The names floating around are Dylan Larkin and Simon Edvinsson, but the rest is still very much in the rumor stage. Edvinsson is reportedly seeking a trade, while Larkin may be open to broadening his options, yet there has been no confirmation of talks or even a meeting between Gorton and Detroit officials, which leaves the whole situation hanging in the kind of uncertainty that usually keeps fans refreshing their feeds. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Finally Have Hope On Key Injuries Including Demidov
The Canadiens got a small but meaningful sign of progress on the injury front this week, with Ivan Demidov, Samuel Montembeault and Mike Matheson all taking part in on-ice recovery sessions as they work their way back. For a team that has been waiting on key pieces to get healthy, seeing that trio back on skates at least nudges the picture in a better direction and gives Montreal a little more reason to believe help is coming.
Demidovs return had already been pushed beyond the original target date, and the earliest realistic window now points to mid-November. The bigger takeaway for the Canadiens is that all three players appear to be moving toward a return before the end of the month, which would give Martin St. Louis more flexibility in a stretch where every lineup decision has mattered. [Read more 🡒]