Montreal Canadiens: Cale Fleury can quickly turn into a fan favourite

Cale Fleury has the potential to become a much-loved player in the Montreal Canadiens organization after the amount of growth he’s gone through this year.

The 2017-18 season didn’t end as positively for Cale Fleury. He started with the Kootenay Ice serving as team captain before getting traded to Regina. It was a positive move throughout the entire organization as no matter what happened; the Montreal Canadiens 2017 third-round pick would be in the Memorial Cup.

The Pats were one of the stronger teams in the WHL earing a top three spot in the East Division. Fleury continued his scoring ways from the point setting up teammates and sending in goals of his own. He and Sam Steel looked to be a settling force as the season went on.

Unfortunately, they couldn’t get as far as they would’ve liked in the playoffs. Their series against the Swift Current Broncos went to seven games, and they came out on top. Fleury and the Pats had to sit back and wait, watching the team who eliminated them go on to claim the top prize in the WHL.

The Memorial Cup was where they could get their redemption. They defeated Will Bitten and the Hamilton Bulldogs and the Broncos to earn a spot in the semi-finals. After double dipping on Hamilton, the Pats were in a position to become the fifth team in franchise history to raise the Memorial Cup.

Something stood out more for Fleury in those four games, and that was his physical edge. The defenceman never shied away from laying the body, but fans saw more of it as the tournament went on. Fleury never layed up, even in the final minutes of their championship match against the Titan.

This ‘don’t stop until you hear the whistle’ style is going to make him a fan favourite within the Montreal Canadiens organization one day. Fans gravitate to players like Brendan Gallagher, Paul Byron and Andrew Shaw who don’t know the meaning of quit.

Fleury has that factor and at the same time has shown improvements in both factions of his game. It’ll be interesting to see what the future has in store for the young defencemen, and most importantly when those big hits will be seen at the Bell Centre.

In Case You Missed It

Montreal Canadiens sign Michal Moravčík and David Sklenička

Marc Bergevin is continuing to make the 2018 offseason look pretty good for the Montreal Canadiens as they sign teammates Michal Moravčík and David Sklenička out of the Czech Republic.

Nicolas Deslauriers taking his promise to new heights

There were few on the team this year who could rival the passion that Nicolas Deslauriers brought to his play, and he’s bringing that now to the community.

Should the Montreal Canadiens circle back on Matt Bradley?

Matt Bradley was the only Habs pick from 2015 not to receive a contract. It may be a good idea to give him a good idea as he waits for a contract to play next year.

More on the Michal Moravcik and David Sklenicka signings

Moravcik and Sklenicka’s contract details for the next two years.

Laval sign Étienne Marcoux to an AHL contract

The organization added another chapter to their book of goaltending depth signing former Armada goaltender Ètienne Marcoux.

Next: Bringing Matt Bradley Back

Morning Links

Michal Moravčík and David Sklenička have intriguing potential

A breakdown of what the Habs two newest defencemen bring to the table.

Player Development Is Habs’ Best Hope

There’s no better way to add talent to an organization than to grow it yourself.