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Montreal Canadiens Lose Noah Juulsen to the Florida Panthers

By Emmanuel D |
TORONTO, ON - OCTOBER 3: Noah Juulsen #58 of the Montreal Canadiens waits for a puck drop against the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on October 3, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Canadiens 3-2 in overtime. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - OCTOBER 3: Noah Juulsen #58 of the Montreal Canadiens waits for a puck drop against the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on October 3, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Canadiens 3-2 in overtime. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)

Montreal Canadiens lost Noah Juulsen on waivers

Selected in the 26th overall in the first round of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, Noah Juulsen spent the bulk of his time with the Montreal Canadiens organization being considered one of their best prospects in the pipeline. However, setbacks due to injury led to the defenseman missing significant playing time. As a result, the goal was to send Noah Juulsen to the Laval Rocket after only playing in 16 games the previous season.

Unfortunately for the Montreal Canadiens, they had to take a gamble and place Juulsen on waivers where he would inevitably be claimed by the Florida Panthers. The team knew the risk of placing Juulsen on waivers but they appeared to be confident in their current defensive core.

In terms of replacements, the Montreal Canadiens have players in Cale Fleury (Laval Rocket) and rookie Alexander Romanov to play on the right side of the third pairing, the slot Juulsen would have likely taken if he made the cut. Nonetheless, this is not the outcome the Canadiens were looking for as they are an organization that highly value their defensive depth. It is also rarely a good look to lose young first round picks for nothing.

In 44 NHL games, Noah Juulsen recorded 2 goals and 6 assists for a total of 10 points. The Panthers will be unable to send Juulsen straight down to the AHL meaning that if he is unable to make the cut, we may see the defenseman on waives once more.

With the Florida Panthers, Noah Juulsen will have an opportunity to get past his previous injury woes that have held him back for nearly two seasons. His big frame and consistent play in previous AHL seasons made Juulsen an enticing option on the waiver wire and a gamble teams were willing to take.

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