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Montreal Canadiens Call-Up Options After Arber Xhekaj Injury

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1 year ago

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Montreal Canadiens training camp

With injuries to Montreal Canadiens defencemen Arber Xhekaj and Joel Edmundson, the Habs have a few options to call on for reinforcements.

For the first time this season, the Canadiens have more right-shooting defencemen than left-shooting; a sight nobody could have seen coming at the beginning of the year.

However, with injuries to Arber Xhekaj, Joel Edmundson and Kaiden Guhle, the ranks have dwindled to just Mike Matheson and Jordan Harris.

Although the Canadiens do have six healthy defencemen to count on, they might need to make to call for reinforcements sooner or later.

Here are some potential candidates:

William Trudeau

William Trudeau has been the best story on the back end for the Laval Rocket this season, and he has more than warranted a few games in the NHL with his notable progression this season.

Like most 20-year-olds across the AHL, the start to Trudeau’s pro career took some time, as he got used to the timing, pacing and physical toll of the pro game.

Gaining some consistency in his playing time over the last two months, Trudeau has begun to thrive in all situations for the Laval Rocket; gaining some precious power-play usage along the way after the recall of Justin Barron.

The Canadiens’ 4th round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft has used the opportunity to not only show that he could put the Rocket on his back defensively, but that he could bring the offensive boost they desperately needed with all the injuries they’d sustained.

He’s since gone from a regular healthy scratch in October, to quickly rising up the ranks to become the Rocket’s No. 1 defenceman; registering 10 points in his last 12 games, while playing in all situations.

Even with the return of Nicolas Beaudin, Trudeau remained on the top next to Corey Schueneman. He recorded two assists in the Laval Rocket’s victory over the Utica Comets this Saturday and continues to be one of the most utilized defencemen at the tender age of 20.

Must Read: Canadiens William Trudeau Emerging As Laval’s Best-Kept Secret

Nicolas Beaudin

The acquisition of Nicolas Beaudin started off with some confusion.

At the time, it seemed odd to see the Montreal Canadiens acquire yet another left-handed shot defensive prospect, given their exceptional depth at the position.

Like Trudeau, Beaudin began his time in Laval as a regular healthy scratch, but seized his opportunity when injuries and contract terminations popped up for the Rocket.

He began to find some solid chemistry with Barron before he was recalled to the Laval Rocket, forming a deadly pairing at even strength and, especially, on the power play.

In 22 games this season, Beaudin has put up an impressive two goals and 12 assists for 14 points in 22 games.

It should be noted that he has just come back from an injury that kept him out of the lineup for a month.

Trudeau is likely the better candidate for a call-up, but, given Beaudin’s age and existing NHL experience with the Chicago Blackhawks, he could get the nod instead.

Logan Mailloux?

After the Canadiens recalled Owen Beck from the OHL on an emergency basis last month, we’ve had many readers reach out to ask whether the Canadiens could potentially do the same with Logan Mailloux if their defence started to fall prey to an injury bug.

In short, the answer is no.

Beck was allowed to be recalled by the Canadiens due to Montreal already having forwards in Rem Pitlick, Rafaël Harvey-Pinard, Jesse Ylönen and Alex Belzile on emergency recall from Laval.

When the Canadiens sustained yet another injury and had two or more forwards already on emergency recall from their AHL affiliate, the NHL-CHL agreement allows for an NHL club to emergency recall a forward from major junior to the NHL for a short period of time.

Unfortunately, in this case, the Canadiens do not currently have a defenceman on the roster that was called up on an emergency basis, as Justin Barron’s call-up was categorized as a regular recall.

That means, the best candidates eligible for a stint in Montreal remain Trudeau and Beaudin at the moment.

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