Montreal Canadiens: Expect Mattias Norlinder To Play Another Year In Sweden, Then Jump to Habs

Montreal Canadiens prospect defenceman Mattias Norlinder signed his entry level contract with the organization yesterday.

It was a bit surprising to see Norlinder sign this contract so soon. He is still under contract with Frolunda of the SHL for another season, so the Habs run the risk of burning the first year of his entry-level deal while he plays in Sweden.

That is exactly what I would expect to happen next year.

Though he is now under contract for two different teams in two different continents next season, Norlinder is eligible to play in the NHL. If he cracks the lineup in training camp next year, the Habs can certainly keep him in Montreal. However, they won’t be able to send him to the AHL’s Laval Rocket, as he would have an out clause to head back to Sweden to finish his contract there.

With the Habs likely to bring back the six defensemen they have under contract next year, including Shea Weber, Jeff Petry, Joel Edmundson, Ben Chiarot, Brett Kulak and Alexander Romanov, they aren’t likely going to have room for a rookie making his debut in North America.

Norlinder was the Habs third round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. He has explosive speed and great offensive instincts with the puck on his stick. He didn’t put up eye-popping numbers with ten points in 37 regular season games, but he did play a regular top four role with a decent team in Sweden’s best league.

The low totals certainly don’t mean he won’t be able to produce offence at the NHL level. Young players often struggle to score frequently at the SHL level. This is a league where scoring 10 points in 33 games in 2019-20 made Lucas Raymond a top five NHL pick.

The 21 year old Norlinder was great in a short postseason performance. He led the team with three goals and was tied for the team lead with five points in seven playoff games.

With one more year on his SHL contract, and a bit of a logjam on the left side of the Canadiens defence, expect Norlinder to finish his contract in Sweden in 2020-21.

Following that, with Kulak and Chiarot becoming free agents, you can bet on Norlinder being part of the equation on the Canadiens blue line in 2021-22.