Andrew Shaw and Ales Hemsky took part in full-contact practice for the Montreal Canadiens and moves may be in need to stay in range of the roster limit
All were present at practice early this afternoon for the Montreal Canadiens. Only Phillip Danault was missing as he was given a therapy day, but all the other players on the team were in Brossard. That included both Andrew Shaw and Ales Hemsky who were cleared for contact.
Claude Julien told media afterwards that although they were able to practice with contact, they will not be ready for tomorrow’s game against Tampa Bay. A. Shaw and Hemsky remained on the extra forward line in between Logan Shaw leaving Jacob de La Rose to fill in for Danault. Nothing changed among the defence pairings, and rightly so, save for David Schlemko and Jordie Benn taking turns next to Joseph Morrow.
A. Shaw and Hemsky being able to take hits now could hint to return for either player. However, the Habs don’t have any room right now for either of them. Montreal is currently over their 23-man roster limit, but with Charlie Lindgren on an emergency recall, the max can be exceeded.
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Carey Price is out indefinitely with a concussion so the Habs will most likely place him on injured reserve but that will only have the number at 23. Hemsky may go right to waivers once he can return to the lineup. Considering the 34-year-old only played seven games this season, there’s no reason why he shouldn’t clear.
Some kind of trade is going to be required to make room for A. Shaw though. Again it hovers around the same names in de La Rose, Morrow, Daniel Carr, and Byron Froese. Marc Bergevin still has time to figure it out, but he’s running out of it. A similar return that Jakub Jerabek got would work, and that is another selection to add to the pool.
This isn’t a dire situation for Habs management, but something that has to be addressed, especially considering the deadline is only three days away.
Next: A Future Deal with Minnesota
What do you think the Habs will do to make room? Let us know in the comments below.