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Montreal Canadiens: Making NHL debuts, Matthew Peca’s role, Plekanec bonuses

By Omar L

MONTREAL, QC - FEBRUARY 10: Tomas Plekanec #14 of the Montreal Canadiens fires a shot against the Nashville Predators in the NHL game at the Bell Centre on February 10, 2018 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Francois Lacasse/NHLI via Getty Images) *** Local Caption ***
MONTREAL, QC - FEBRUARY 10: Tomas Plekanec #14 of the Montreal Canadiens fires a shot against the Nashville Predators in the NHL game at the Bell Centre on February 10, 2018 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Francois Lacasse/NHLI via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** /
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Montreal Canadiens
DALLAS, TX – JUNE 22:  (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

1) How many players in the Montreal Canadiens organization make their NHL debut this season?

Wesley Smith: I think there are a couple of players that will make their NHL debuts with the Montreal Canadiens this upcoming season. The first player is Jesperi Kotkaniemi who may make the team out of training camp, which is to be expected when you’re selected third overall. The second player which I suspect will be making his NHL debut this season, although the chances are slim, will be Jake Evans. I’ve spoken about this player in past articles, and I believe he has a high upside. He put up great numbers throughout his NCAA career with the University of Notre Dame and was a force during the Frozen Four. Evans will likely start this season in the AHL with the Laval Rocket and as he continues his development, could possibly get a call-up to the NHL if (when) the Canadiens are out of the playoff picture

Zachary Cook: Depending on how training camp goes, I do expect Jesperi Kotkaniemi to get nine games, and then head back to Finland. There’s one. I’m curious to see how Jake Evans looks at camp this year, and how he progresses with Laval. If things are ahead of schedule, it wouldn’t shock me to see him get a few games after the trade deadline, or if the injury bug strikes again. The Canadiens currently have so many bodies on defence that it would surprise me if any made the jump. Therefore, I’ll stick with two.

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