Alex Beaucage
One interesting prospect out there from Quebec that doesn’t have an enormous amount of value is Alex Beaucage. He is an intriguing enough prospect due to his goal scoring ability, though his skating has always been the knock on him.
That is why, even after scoring 39 goals and 79 points for the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies in 2018-19, he fell to the third round of the NHL Draft. The Avalanche were happy to pick up the sniping right winger with the 78th overall selection.
Beaucage continued his scoring prowess the following two seasons, scoring 40 goals in 63 games in 2019-20 and piling up 17 goals in just 22 games last season. The 20 year old native of Trois-Rivieres has transitioned to the AHL this season and has six points in 17 contests for the Colorado Eagles.
He won’t be playing for the Avalanche this season, and they will be looking to upgrade their roster for a Stanley Cup run. They have tons of firepower up front and a terrific blue line led by Cale Makar, Bowen Byram, Sam Girard and Devon Toews.
Where they are weak is on the penalty kill. The Avs rank 25th in the league while shorthanded, killing off just 75.8% of their penalties. What they need to acquire at the trade deadline is defensive players that can help while shorthanded.
The Canadiens have some great defensive wingers and could part with a player like Artturi Lehkonen for a goal scoring prospect like Beaucage. Fans in Montreal like Lehkonen but they see his limited offensive upside. They also could see Beaucage’s potential impact as a power play sniper and a goal scorer at even strength.
The Canadiens always struggle to score enough so adding goal scoring prospects would not be a bad idea. If they happen to be from the area, that just appeases even more fans.