Lucas Condotta recalled by the Canadiens

Last night, following the Laval Rocket’s game (a 5-2 win over Utica without Arber Xhekaj), the Montreal Canadiens decided to remedy their center depth problem with a recall from the AHL.

Who was the lucky one?

In the end, it was Lucas Condotta who got the call from the Habs. Expect him at today’s practice, scheduled for 10:30 a.m. this morning at the Bell Centre.

Remember that earlier this week, the Canadiens sent Mitchell Stephens to the waivers in order to keep Joshua Roy in the lineup up top. This was done despite the fact that it left only three centers available.

In the end, the experiment lasted just one game.

Did the Habs realize that three centers wasn’t enough? Did the club want to give Condotta a chance? Did Roy do something to deserve a move to New York Laval? Was the club fed up with Stephens?

These are the questions that arise.

One thing’s for sure: Condotta is up there. That leaves 13 forwards in town, but since he’s a center and the Habs probably want to see what he’s got, I expect to see him piloting the fourth unit tonight.

Will Michael Pezzetta or Jesse Ylönen skip his turn? They’re the logical candidates at the moment.

Note that if the Habs wanted to test a player other than Stephens, Brandon Gignac wasn’t an option, as he doesn’t have an AHL contract. So he can’t be recalled.

Otherwise, Philippe Maillet and Lias Andersson were Laval’s other realistic…. options. Waivers were also an option, but obviously that’s not how it’s going to work out.

Condotta, an undrafted NHLer in his second full pro season, has 13 points in 37 games for the Rocket this season.

In addition to Stephens’ return to the bottom line, Condotta was moved to wing yesterday. It’s only logical that he should get his chance at center. He’s a natural center.

Extension

– In his first (and only, so far) NHL game with the Montreal Canadiens last year, Condotta found the back of the net. Will he score again tonight?

– We’ll be keeping an eye on the Habs’ lineup at practice. Will Josh Anderson still be on the first line?

– Yesterday, David Savard and Mike Matheson had a day of treatments. I don’t expect it to be serious, and they should play. Will Jordan Harris skip his turn again? Will Jonathan Kovacevic keep his place in the lineup?

– We’ll be keeping an eye on who’ll be in front of the Habs net. My money’s on Samuel Montembeault.

– As everyone knows, Patrick Roy will be back in town, this time as coach of the Islanders. He won’t be holding morning practices to avoid distractions, but he’ll be attracting attention all the same.