Because the Montreal Canadiens proceed their rebuilding plan primarily based on the NHL Entry Draft and participant improvement, their prospect pool continues to increase and enhance into one of many NHL’s finest.
Associated: Canadiens’ Hughes Constructing a Profitable Tradition in Montreal
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This results in a continuously shifting depth chart and one that gives a small window of alternative for these prospects to search out themselves in the midst of the pack relating to the Habs’ checklist. A type of prospects is 2019 third-round decide Mattias Norlinder.
Canadiens’ Norlinder Ultimate Alternative
Drafted as a 19-year-old overager in 2019, Norlinder was instantly hailed as a possible NHL defender. On the time, the Canadiens’ prospect pool was skinny. The 2019-20 season noticed him return to Sweden, in the meantime, the depth chart on left protection had names reminiscent of Jacob Legerrier, Otto Leskinen, and Xavier Ouellet. There have been far fewer up-and-coming defenders then, so he was instantly excessive on the checklist. Due to this, he obtained speedy consideration.
His fashion of sport was additionally in scarce provide on the time, as a cell puck-moving defenseman. His skill to skate the puck up ice easily and rapidly, or make an correct go by means of site visitors was additionally in brief provide within the system again then. His skill to transition the play below management out of his zone or into the offensive zone is the fashion that’s extremely wanted within the fashionable NHL. When he was on the bigger ice surfaces, his sport, constructed on good imaginative and prescient and hockey IQ, labored fantastically. His skating was dynamic, with glorious edgework and a capability to vary path at prime pace, which made him seem like a possible middle-of-the-lineup offensive weapon.
Nevertheless, as soon as he arrived in North America, the weaknesses in his sport have been highlighted, and in some methods additionally amplified. His hole management, particularly in his personal zone, by no means adjusted to the brand new rink measurement. Regardless of his evident hockey IQ, he by no means adjusted to the rise within the tempo of play introduced on by the shortage of area. He was unable to make choices rapidly sufficient, which compelled him to second-guess himself and play with little or no confidence. That delay in decision-making made his defensive play within the American Hockey League (AHL) an issue, which as a defenseman is a priority.
Due to this, mixed with accidents and misplaced time from returning to Sweden, he misplaced his position with the Laval Rocket. Add within the plethora of protection that was drafted within the 2020, 2021, and 2022 Draft lessons and it’s no shock to see him slide down the depth chart as a number of of these picks, reminiscent of Kaiden Guhle, Lane Hutson, and even undrafted gamers like Arber Xhekaj have supplied performances that show constructive development of their improvement.
Canadiens Defender Not Returning
In keeping with Grant McCagg, a well-connected former Canadiens scout, Norlinder has performed in a Swedish Hockey League (SHL) exhibition sport, and that signifies he gained’t return.
With the return of AHL veteran defenders Jayden Struble, Tobie Bisson, and Nicolas Beaudin, together with a doable addition of one of many a number of rookie defensemen on the Canadiens’ roster, it reveals why he would return to Sweden as he’s being pushed out of any vital position he as soon as held on the AHL roster, and has little or no hope of getting a legit NHL alternative in Montreal. This merely provides Norlinder to a listing of prospects who’ve gotten handed over by different prospects.
That is one thing that occurs to gamers in each NHL group, it’s not a “failure” on the crew or the participant’s half. It merely demonstrates the actual fact the Habs’ prospect pool has improved dramatically in a brief span of solely three years. With all of the defensemen taking part in within the NHL and AHL, normal supervisor (GM) Kent Hughes has the choice of permitting him to play out the ultimate 12 months of his NHL contract whereas on mortgage to a membership in Sweden for the season. He may then select to not place a qualifying supply on him, letting his restricted free agent (RFA) standing expire, permitting him to turn out to be an unrestricted free agent (UFA). In the long run, his time with the group will probably finish with him having performed solely six video games within the NHL. It could be a shock at this level to see him play a seventh.
Even along with his 6-foot-1 194-pound body, he struggles to play a bodily fashion. It’s exhausting to disregard his defensive struggles, if he have been a winger, it could be simpler, however for a defenseman, it’s a huge pink flag. These two points alone would make it exhausting for him to turn out to be a top-four defenseman within the NHL.
With the abundance of expert left-shot defensemen, who can play a bodily fashion, are extremely cell, and might present offense, it makes Norlinder expendable. If no NHL crew is prepared to commerce for him, Hughes is best served to permit his contract to only come to an finish, and even place him by means of waivers to terminate his contract and permit him to search out alternatives elsewhere. A couple of seasons in the past, shedding Norlinder would’ve been a way more troublesome state of affairs to endure, however issues have modified as a result of the Canadiens’ prospect pool has supplied a number of higher NHL choices.