Former Montreal Canadiens defenceman Karl Alzner scores in Laval debut
Karl Alzner is no longer part of the Montreal Canadiens, but he’s already fit in nicely on the Laval Rocket scoring in his first game with the team.
If you follow the Laval Rocket, or have been reading Mark Darling’s reports on the team, you’ll know the team hasn’t played its best hockey over the last two weeks. In fact, the Montreal Canadiens AHL club was heading into last night’s game having lost their last five.
It was also a debut night for 30-year-old Karl Alzner. The veteran cleared waivers earlier in the week as Shea Weber was set to return to main club in Montreal. Although playing in the minors most likely wasn’t a thought Alzer had when he signed on the dotted line for five years at $4.625 million, he took the demotion as an opportunity to grow as a player and get key minutes on a team with aspirations to improve.
The game couldn’t have gone any better for Laval. A shot from Michael McCarron got things going offensively for the team which was turned aside by Belleville Senators goaltender Filip Gustavsson. The rebound was directed to the corner which Alzer noticed and skated towards firing a shot over Gustavsson to open the scoring for the game.
More from A Winning Habit
- Montreal Canadiens: Biggest Questions Going Into 2023-24
- Montreal Canadiens: Quentin Miller’s Poise And Confidence Fuel His Game
- Montreal Canadiens: Laval Rocket Top Defence Pair Could Be Set
- Montreal Canadiens: Worst Move Of The Pierre Gauthier Era
- Montreal Canadiens: Could Casey DeSmith End Up In Colorado?
The smile on Alzner’s face was telling of his feelings behind it. Additionally, it was Alzner’s first professional goal since January 7th when he scored a goal and assist against the Vancouver Canucks last season.
Belleville got on the board themselves later in the period capitalizing on the power play after McCarron went off for roughing. It was a justified penalty though. Francois Beachemin’s hit sent Alzner skates first into the boards leaving the 2013 first-round open to respond to it with his fists.
The Rocket were seconds from killing the entire infraction, six seconds to be exact, until a Logan Brown wrist shot got through and beat Charlie Lindgren. Tough to give up a goal in the last few minutes of the period, but the team came out strong for the second.
Byron Froese wound up scoring his seventh goal of the period a little over five minutes in thanks to Daniel Audette and his centring pass from behind the net. Laval continued exchanging chances with Belleville through the second until the end of the game. They lost some of their drive allowing the Senators to gather some drive of their own, but it was Laval’s victory.
Alzner was named the first star of the game as he started his 2018/19 campaign in the minors as a point-per-game player.
Who knows what the future holds for the 2007 first-round pick. For now, he, as well as, the Montreal Canadiens are benefitting from him getting minutes in Laval. Whether Alzner remains in the AHL for the rest of the season or is called up at some point is still up in the air. There’s also the chance he is traded per reports from some hockey insiders.
Next. What's going on with the Habs?. dark
Either way, it’ll be interesting to see what kind of long-term impact Alzner has on the Laval Rocket considering their best defencemen in Brett Kulak is still up with the Montreal Canadiens.