When the Montreal Canadiens put Samuel Blais on waivers at the start of the season, they knew there was a risk he would be claimed by a team and sure enough, the Toronto Maple Leafs picked him up. Now that many of their injured players were returning, the Ontarian club waived him as well, and since the Habs were the only team to put in a claim, they were able to assign him to the Laval Rocket, which they did.
Make no mistake, though, with the current injury situation in Montreal, it would be surprising if he werenâ€t called back up shortly, with one of the younger players sent back down to keep developing. Blais has already reached his full potential, whereas players like Jared Davidson would be more suited to a development role in the AHL.
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Davidson had a great season start in the AHL with nine goals and two assists for 11 points in 13 games, which was enough to earn him a call-up, but he was an healthy scratch for the last two games and in the one against the Utah Mammoth he only saw 5:23 of action, thatâ€s not enough to make his presence in the NHL worth it. The 23-year-old would be much better served in Laval under Pascal Vincentâ€s guidance.
If the Canadiens decide to keep 13 forwards up even though they are back home for a couple of games, Florian Xhekaj should stay up, especially with Brady Tkachuk and the Ottawa Senators coming up. Heâ€s done well in an admittedly small sample, picking up a point in four games and seven penalty minutes, on top of bringing a lot of fresh energy and physicality.
Meanwhile, in his first game in Laval, Blais scored two goals, including the game-tying one before scoring the game-winner in the shootout in the Rocketâ€s 5-4 win over Lehigh Valley.
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Should Hughes opt only to keep 12 forwards, though, Blais could be a good option for the Canadiens given the current injury situation and the fact that Xhekaj could still use more AHL seasoning. With a fully healthy lineup, heâ€s a 13th forward. Still, right now, Patrik Laine, Kirby Dach, and Alex Newhook are all out, meaning that nowâ€s the time Blais could get an opportunity to finally play his first official game with the Canadiens, after a detour through Toronto.
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