William Trudeau’s path to the NHL

The Montreal Canadiens strength on their blueline goes far beyond their NHL roster and the American Hockey League roster.

Throughout the prospect pool, the Habs have plenty of strong left-shot defensemen who make the picture for the future quite muddy. While it's a big plus for the Habs to have a surplus of future NHL defenders, it is tough for some of the guys in the mix. Trade rumours regarding Jordan Harris and Jayden Struble came out of the woodwork last year, and the pair aren't far from establishing themselves as quality NHL defenseman.

So, you can imagine that the others coming down the line are looking at the situation in Montreal with a heavy weight on their shoulders. Adam Engstrom is set to join the Rocket for the 2024-25 season and if all goes well, it doesn't appear that he will play low in the defensive depth chart for very long. So, for a guy like William Trudeau who has been a steady presence on the back end for the Rocket, his road to the NHL won't be as easy as when he arrived in Laval.

Trudeau could be left in the dust

For Trudeau to make it to the Canadiens roster one day, there would need to be a lot of things that go right. Some trades to ship out players who are ranked higher than Trudeau would be one option. But it's unlikely unless there is a trade or two that can't be refused, that the defenders above Trudeau get dealt before him.

I like Trudeau and I think he is a fine defender and could be a veteran down the line who serves as a mentor for the young Rocket defence prospects. But it's hard to picture him on the Habs with guys like Mike Matheson, Kaiden Guhle and Lane Hutson ahead of him. Not to mention Arber Xhekaj and the aforementioned Harris and Struble.

I think the fact that Trudeau wasn't involved in trade rumours is great for his future with the organization. That or he isn't exactly coveted for anything other than a depth NHL role at most. With the depth, it's hard to imagine he ever plays in the NHL with the Habs - but a trade out of Montreal could be the answer in the long run.