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Jayden Struble: wait before assuming he won’t make the club

 Auteur: sjones
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Jayden Struble: wait before assuming he won’t make the club
Credit: Getty Images

Let’s talk about the Canadiens’ blue line. Mike Matheson, David Savard (barring a trade) and Kaiden Guhle will have a guaranteed spot in the Flanelle lineup. As long as they’re healthy, they’ll play.

That leaves just three spots for the others on the ice, plus one or two reserves.

Obviously, we expect Arber Xhekaj to get a spot. And because Justin Barron and Jordan Harris have to go through the waivers to go to Laval… they won’t be going to Laval.

These are things you knew.

As for the last few positions, Lane Hutson is likely to be a step ahead of the others – and rightly so – to make the club. David Reinbacher, Adam Engstrom, Logan Mailloux, Jayden Struble and William Trudeau are also options.

Should one more youngster break into the line-up, Mailloux is a name that comes up a lot. Reinbacher and Engstrom are also mentioned. But even so, I don’t think we should take Struble out of the running too quickly.

Am I saying that he’ll definitely make the club? No, not necessarily.

But it seems that because he’s left-handed and has more limited offensive potential than the others, he’s being taken out of the equation more quickly, to the detriment of a Mailloux, for example.

But that doesn’t mean the American is a celery stalk.

With Kaiden Guhle and Jordan Harris able to play on the right, the Habs can potentially afford to bring in one more left-hander for the future.

But basically, I don’t think we should assume right now that Struble will definitely go down to play under Pascal Vincent. I think it’s a good possibility, but not a certainty.

After all, as you know, things change fast in the hockey world. Maybe the Hutson / Mailloux of this world will show, at training camp, that they need to play in the AHL to improve their defensive game.

Maybe the Habs will move David Savard or another defenseman, opening up a roster spot.

Maybe a defenseman will suffer an injury between now and the start of the season, which could open up a position we thought was secure. Look at what’s happening with Rafaël Harvey-Pinard up front.

Maybe the seventh defenseman position will be given to a guy who won’t get much playing time, and the Habs would rather give it to Struble than to another defenseman who would lose more by not playing regularly.

Don’t forget that last year, for dozens of games in a row, Struble played with the Habs and didn’t get docked… even though he was called up to eat popcorn in the first place. There’s nothing to play for, and despite a more difficult end to the season, Martin St-Louis knows what he can offer his group.

I’ll say it again: Struble’s chances of starting the 2024-2025 season in Laval are good. But still: we shouldn’t be too quick to rule out the scenario where the guy makes the club. Nothing’s been decided yet, and a lot can happen in the next few months.

Overtime

– Arber Xhekaj’s contract could become a steal.

– Of note in the ECHL.

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