The idea of a defender leaving this summer doesn’t frighten Stéphane Robidas

Right now, the Habs have great depth on the blue line.

If we’re honest, we might not have been saying the same thing at this time last year, before the club selected Lane Hutson at the last draft. After all, we didn’t know that Kaiden Guhle, Jordan Harris, Arber Xhekaj and Johnathan Kovacevic would be so impressive when they made the team at the start of the season…

Nor did we know that these young defenders would progress quite so quickly. For defensemen in their very first full NHL season, it’s fair to say that they did very well and showed an interesting progression curve.

Harris, Guhle, Xhekaj, Kovacevic,, Mike Matheson, David Savard, Justin Barron, Jayden Struble, Mattias Norlinder, Logan Mailloux, William Trudeau, Lane Hutson…

These are all guys who will be fighting for a spot on the defensive brigade in the near future. And that’s part of the reason why the idea of including a defenseman in a potential deal has gained so much traction in recent weeks.

Stéphane Robidas, who coaches defensemen in Montreal, is well aware of this. But the former NHLer doesn’t necessarily seem afraid of losing one of his guys this summer, because that’s part of the game, as he explained to Éric Leblanc (RDS):

Obviously, you develop a bond with your defensemen and you want what’s best for them. But it’s clear that there’s a risk of having too many of them at some point, with those who arrive and the choices that will follow. There’s a business side to trades and the salary cap. – Stéphane Robidas

The answer he gave is particularly interesting.

After all, Robidas knows how things work in the NHL. He’s been traded three times in his 16-season career in the Bettman circuit, and he understands how flat it can be.

He explains it well: at a certain point, it’s all well and good to love guys and want to give them a chance to shine…

But there isn’t enough room for everyone.

And when you look at the big picture, you realize that Kent Hughes may not have the choice of trading one or two of his defensemen. The question now is this.

Which players could the organization sacrifice in order to get its hands on an interesting player?

In gusto

– New two-year contract for Mathieu Olivier in Columbus.

– Still.

This defense was goals 🚨 pic.twitter.com/MwxGAOfSP4

– Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) June 21, 2023

– They need to find a way to take the next step.

– Things could start to heat up in the Bronx.

– He’s humble and that’s perfect.