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Montreal Canadiens: 7 Talking Points

By Sebastian High

MONTREAL, QC - OCTOBER 17: Cale Fleury #20 of the Montreal Canadiens skates against the Minnesota Wild during the third period at the Bell Centre on October 17, 2019 in Montreal, Canada. The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Minnesota Wild 4-0. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC - OCTOBER 17: Cale Fleury #20 of the Montreal Canadiens skates against the Minnesota Wild during the third period at the Bell Centre on October 17, 2019 in Montreal, Canada. The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Minnesota Wild 4-0. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /
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LAVAL, QC, CANADA – DECEMBER 28: Cale Fleury #38 of the Laval Rocket skating up the ice against the Charlotte Checkers at Place Bell on December 28, 2018 in Laval, Quebec. (Photo by Stephane Dube /Getty Images)
LAVAL, QC, CANADA – DECEMBER 28: Cale Fleury #38 of the Laval Rocket skating up the ice against the Charlotte Checkers at Place Bell on December 28, 2018 in Laval, Quebec. (Photo by Stephane Dube /Getty Images) /

2. Potential Laval call-ups

Speaking of the defensive depth chart… Now, hopefully, no player currently plying their trade with the Laval Rocket will need to be called up for NHL game time, but the Habs would need to get very lucky for that to occur. Xavier Ouellet will be the first call-up on the backend; he played alright in the bubble last summer and didn’t look all that out of place in a playoff environment. Cale Fleury should be the next one up, and I would argue that he would deserve to be the first call-up, ahead of Ouellet.

Fleury has been incredibly reliable in the AHL and distinguishes himself through his physical play, though he has committed to less and less risky hits that could lead to odd-man rushes; he’s maturing as a hockey player. The third slot for potential call-ups is tougher to determine. Gustav Olofsson has played in 59 NHL games and has been quite decent in Laval; however, due to previous injuries he largely refrains from physical play, and could therefore be far less effective in the big leagues.

Therefore, I would pick Otto Leskinen as the third defensive call-up. Leskinen played five games with the Habs last season and struggled. However, he has a toolset that is quite intriguing. He’s an offensive defenceman; he put up 10 points in 17 games in the Finnish Liiga this offseason. At the very least, he would add an interesting dynamic to the Canadiens defence if his services are required.

At forward, the first two players to be slotted into the lineup if injuries do occur are Corey Perry and Michael Frolik; after those two, Jordan Weal comes to mind as the next replacement. Beyond Weal, however, there is no longer an immediately obvious candidate. Lukas Vejdemo, Joe Blandisi and Ryan Poehling have all seen NHL action. I would personally like to leave Poehling in the AHL for the entirety of the season. Last year, he jumped back and forth between leagues, to the detriment of his development.

I would personally like to see Yannick Veilleux get some NHL action since he has never seen any before and has worked his way from the ECHL to a fringe role in the AHL to first-line duties; it’s a nice storyline. He’s a pretty big winger with a nose for the net and while his skating isn’t great, I think he could do a decent job on a fourth line.

Still, Vejdemo’s faceoff expertise and Blandisi’s 101 games of NHL action (where he’s notched 10 goals and 31 points) would be the likely candidates. To be honest, the depth at forward this season, in terms of players that could conceivably do a decent job on the fourth line, is really comforting. Even if the Habs are ravaged by injuries at forward *knock on wood that doesn’t happen* they should still be able to roll four lines and not need to make huge changes to their system.

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