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Montreal Canadiens Bring Back Forward Samuel Blais from Toronto
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- Montreal Canadiens Bring Back Forward Samuel Blais from Toronto
David Kirouac-Imagn Images
The Montreal Canadiens have reacquired forward Samuel Blais from the Toronto Maple Leafs .
Blais, 29, was originally signed by the Habs in the off-season, but was quickly claimed on waivers by the Leafs when Montreal tried to send him to the AHL. Since then, Blais has only featured in eight games for Toronto, resulting in one goal and two assists.
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The Canadiens decided to return the favour, claiming Blais as the Leafs attempted to sneak him to the AHL.
Potential Montreal Canadiens Role For Blais
Realistic expectations suggest we shouldn't hold our breath for a deluge of offensive production, however, given his low ice time with the Leafs, he still ended up as one of their most productive players at 5v5, scoring 2.8 points per 60 at 5v5.
Most importantly, Blais' style of play should endear him to head coach Martin St-Louis . He led all Leafs players by lining up over 26 hits per 60 minutes of ice time, which would be far and away the highest result among Canadiens players as well.
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The Habs lost a lot of their spark on the fourth line when they traded Emil Heineman to the New York Islanders , and though he won't match Heineman's offensive output, he could replace the physical presence that was lost in the trade.
With the recent addition of centre Alexandre Texier to the mix, the most logical solution to finding a role for Blais in the current lineup would involve fourth-line winger duties, where he can use his feisty approach to create a little momentum for the Canadiens.
This would entail a demotion for a current fourth-line player, which complicates things to a certain extent. The Canadiens are quite happy with what Florian Xhekaj brings to the table , leaving Joe Veleno as the player who would need to be removed from the lineup, a situation that may not please St-Louis, as he'd be losing a centre while already dealing with a lack of depth at that position.
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