Sammy Blais will be rejoining the Montreal Canadiens as the 29-year-old forward was claimed on waivers Thursday afternoon. Blais was placed on waivers by the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday after Nicolas Roy and Leafs Captain Auston Matthews were activated from the injured reserve before the Leafs' match against the Blue Jackets.
Les Canadiens ont réclamé l'attaquant Samuel Blais au ballottage. Il rejoindra le Rocket de Laval.
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) November 27, 2025
The Canadiens have claimed forward Samuel Blais off waivers. He will join the Laval Rocket. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/QrWWf19rpW
This claim continues the trend of adding depth from patience on the waiver wire, after the recent signing of Alexandre Texier who was waived, then waived unconditionally to have his contract terminated by the Blues.
Blais started the pre-season with the Habs after being picked up during summer free agency. After playing in three pre-season games and garnering one assist, Blais was placed on waivers and was claimed by Toronto. In eight regular-season games with the Leafs, Blais has 1 goal and 2 assists. Blais currently carries a low-cost one-year contract of $775,000.
Blais is a physical depth player who can grind out along the boards and plays with a lot of sandpaper, a category that the Canadiens' bottom six could definitely use a boost in. Montreal was the original signing team and the only team to put in a claim on the Montmagny, Quebec native, and as a result, was able to send him directly to their AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket.
A move like this may see a player like Jared Davidson or Florian Xhekaj cycled out to continue their development in Laval while bringing in a low-cost NHL’er who can fill a similar role, or just a way to add more depth to a competitive Rocket roster. Either way, any moves up and down the roster will have to wait until the Canadiens return from their three-game road trip, with Vegas on Friday and Colorado on Saturday.