Which 31 players should the Montreal Canadiens bring to Phase 4?
By Omar L
Per the Return to Play Play, NHL teams can bring 31 players to the competition phase giving the Montreal Canadiens many options to choose from.
Bob McKenzie, Elliotte Friedman, Chris Johnston and Frank Seravalli were on the ball Sunday night as details came left and right regarding the finalization of Return to Play (RTP) Plan’s third and fourth phases.
We now know all the protocols that will take place to ensure the bubbles in Toronto and Edmonton are closed, the penalties that will come to teams if said protocols are broken as well as news that teams can bring their families if their team reaches the conference final. That is going to be good news for several members of the Montreal Canadiens as that was one of their primary concerns revolving around the restart.
The next question is, who is exactly going to get the opportunity to compete and play in the Stanley Cup Qualifier, and if all goes well, the eventual Stanley Cup Playoffs?
According to the RTP, teams are allowed to bring 31 players with them to Phase 4, including three goaltenders. This is different from Phase 3 (Training Camp) where the limit is 30 skaters and an unlimited amount of goaltenders.
The Trade Deadline saw the Montreal Canadiens lose Ilya Kovalchuk, Nate Thompson, Nick Cousins, Riley Barber, Matthew Peca and Marco Scandella. Additionally, the teams lost several players to injury, and their status is still up in the air.
A decent portion of this 31 limit is going to be easy to predict with some difficult decisions along the way.