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Alex Barré-Boulet: possible scenarios for the Canadian

 Emily Smith
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Alex Barré-Boulet: possible scenarios for the Canadian
Credit: Getty Images

Yesterday afternoon, the Habs announced that Alex Barré-Boulet had been waived to the Laval Rocket. This came after the Québécois had played two good games against Toronto and Boston.

But Barré-Boulet, a perennial player who is too strong for the AHL and lacks a little something to establish himself full-time in the Bettman circuit, had not played on Saturday night.

And obviously, the plan wasn’t to bring him back into the lineup in the short term. Why not? Because the Habs have a surplus of forwards.

Michael Pezzetta hasn’t played yet, and youngsters like Emil Heineman and Oliver Kapanen (a player who could return to Sweden in the short to medium term) need game time to be evaluated, but also to continue developing.

That’s (among other things) why the Habs want to send Barré-Boulet down.

It’s safe to assume that, given his salary, which is the same in the AHL as in the NHL, ABB won’t be in demand. Not all clubs want to put as much money into their AHL clubs as the Habs do.

We could be in for a surprise (who knows how much Julien BriseBois still loves him?), of course, but right now, I’m predicting the Québécois will join the Rocket this afternoon.

We can imagine that seeing Joshua Roy sent back to the AHL after camp helped Barré-Boulet make the NHL at the start of the season, but that the veteran was living on borrowed time anyway.

It’s also worth noting that if Barré-Boulet isn’t claimed in the waivers, it won’t cost Geoff Molson any less in real money, but Kent Hughes will have more leeway in terms of the salary cap. And let’s not forget that Pascal Vincent would surely be happy to count on him…

Now we have to ask: from the Montreal Canadiens’ point of view, what happens with the 23rd available spot in the club’s lineup?

There are a few possibilities.

Keep only 22 players in the NHL: with Michael Pezzetta yet to play, the Habs can continue to roll with just 13 forwards and seven defensemen.

It’s actually quite possible.

Plus, the games tonight (Pittsburgh) and Thursday (Los Angeles) are at home. The club will only be in the hotel once between now and October 25 (that’ll be Friday night in New York), and it’s safe to assume that, should the need arise, the Habs can easily recall a player from Laval.

The Rocket’s next road game is on October 26. If the Habs are so inclined, a recall could happen very quickly in the next 10 days.

(Credit: NHL.com)

 

Bringing in a forward from Laval: is Joshua Roy ready to return to the NHL in the eyes of the Habs? Does another forward deserve a chance? It’s a scenario we can’t rule out.

Acquiring a player: you have to think about the fact that this opens up a spot for a player from outside the organization. Will Kent Hughes pull a rabbit out of his hat?

Bringing in a defenseman from Laval : let’s say Jayden Struble isn’t able to return to action and Martin St-Louis wants to sit a Justin Barron or Arber Xhekaj, that’s a possibility.

How much more likely is that than recalling a forward?

Note that I could also have talked about the recall of Jakub Dobes, but it’s probably too early for that. It’s also too early to think about the return of Rafaël Harvey-Pinard or Patrik Laine, who haven’t started skating again.

These are not logical scenarios in my eyes.


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