There is no rush and patience is required, but there are ways to add sandpaper to the attack to help talented players who are not producing.
Besides Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, it's very laborious. Alex Newhook and Kirby Dach are invisible, and Jake Evans takes the 2nd line center Tuesday night. I love Evans, but when he gets to the 2nd line, things go badly in the shop.
To help these players, a guy who eats up the boards and gives everything he has at every shift is essential. Even if he doesn't play on the same line, he brings contagious energy.
This is what Hughes would be looking for according to Elliotte Friedman: A defender and an attacker with grit.
This is where names like Samuel Blais and Nicolas Deslauriers stand out. This isn't the first time these two have been linked to the Canadiens and I'm sure they would wear the logo very proudly.
The other potential player is Liam O'Brien, but personally, I would like to see Nicolas again with the CH. He played his best career hockey in Montreal and I'm sure he would be an asset again today on a 4th line, while waiting for Florian Xhekaj to be ready.
POLL | ||
Would you like Nicolas Deslauriers to return to Montreal? | ||
Yes | 129 | 65.8 % |
No | 67 | 34.2 % |
List of polls |