Canadiens Place Two On Waivers, Interesting Options Available

The Montreal Canadiens announced that they’ll be waiving two defencemen before the October 10 deadline, but could also pounce on some interesting names available to them today.

The Canadiens announced that they had placed defencemen Corey Schueneman and Madison Bowey on waivers as of today, freeing up two spots on a very crowded defence at the moment and likely confirming that Otto Leskinen has made the team.

If both players are not claimed by 2 pm tomorrow, they will be loaned to the Laval Rocket; but that doesn’t mean the Canadiens are done tinkering.

Les Canadiens ont placé M. Bowey et C. Schueneman au ballottage dans le but de les céder au Rocket de Laval.⁰⁰The Canadiens have placed M. Bowey and C. Schueneman on waivers for purposes of loans to Laval.#GoHabsGo

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) October 9, 2022

By claiming Kovacevic, the Canadiens are likely to send Justin Barron down to the Laval Rocket for some much-needed seasoning, as he still needs to continue to work on his defensive game. However, if they feel that Jordan Harris and/or Arber Xhekaj could use some more time in the minors, they could strike again with some interesting names on the waiver wire today.

Because they’re waiver-exempt, Xhekaj, Barron, Harris and even Juraj Slafkovsky can be sent to Laval at any point between now and 5 pm on October 10. This means that, if the Canadiens want to pounce on an interesting name on defence like Michael Del Zotto from Florida or Will Butcher from Dallas; who would be a big help to the offence, while ensuring the rookies play meaningful minutes in Laval, they have that luxury.

As for forward, Emil Bemstrom from Columbus stands out as a player who was quickly lost to the numbers game in Columbus on the wings; he possesses speed and shooting ability that Kent Hughes has shown a desire to add in the past. With the injury to Joël Armia, it could make sense to add a player like him. There are also some lesser names like Julien Gauthier from the New York Rangers, who knows Jeff Gorton well that could be a low-key option as well.

Maintain Priority

It’s also important to note that the Montreal Canadiens have not lost their priority to put a claim on another player moving forward after having claimed Jonathan Kovacevic on Saturday. The misconception that the claiming of a player on waivers resets waiver priority is due to as a rule that exists in fantasy sports leagues, but is not decreed anywhere in the NHL’s collective bargaining agreement. The priority will be retained, despite making a previous claim, up until November 1.

This means that the Canadiens retain this advantage throughout camp and into the regular season; allowing them to swoop in on some quality players they would have otherwise had to trade for to acquire. It could be a significant advantage for them to pounce on some potential at positions of need, as they continue to look to improve their roster and develop talent.

Just because the Canadiens claimed someone today, doesn’t meant they’re necessarily done using waivers to round out their team. The injuries to Joel Armia and Joel Edmundson could see them try and pluck out some other players in the next 48 hours in order to send other prospects to Laval for some more seasoning.