Elliotte Friedman links three players to the Montreal Canadiens as they look to add physicality
Three tough guys have been linked to the Montreal Canadiens by insider Elliotte Friedman, who believes the team is looking to add more grit to the current lineup.
It's early in the 2024-25 NHL regular season yet, but one insider believes the Montreal Canadiens are looking to make an addition to their lineup as soon as possible. Sportnet's Elliotte Friedman says the Habs are looking to add more grit and physicality to their lineup, and he has three players in mind that could fill the slot.
The Montreal Canadiens already have Arber Xhekaj on the roster, although former NHL enforcer Georges Laraque recently called for the Montreal Canadiens to trade him, but Elliotte Friedman believes GM Kent Hughes wants more.
As for the three possibilities to get the Montreal Canadiens where they want to be, Elliotte Friedman mentioned Samuel (Sammy) Blais, who is currently playing for the Abbotsford Canucks of the AHL, Liam O'Brien from the Utah Hockey Club, and Nicolas (Nic) Deslauriers of the Philadelphia Flyers. Deslauriers is a former member of the Canadiens, having played with the team from 2017 to 2019.
Personally, I've always been a fan of Nic Deslauriers, and consider him one of the top three fighters left in the NHL. His no-nonsense approach and willingness to put himself in harm's way make him a perfect teammate to protect the rest of the lineup. Sammy Blais could work, and would likely come cheap given his current spot in the AHL.
A recent incident involving Juraj Slafkovsky, who called out the NHL's Department of Player Safety for a controversial ruling on a hit over the weekend, has likely intensified the Montreal Canadiens' desire for more toughness in the lineup. The team is going through a rebuild and has several young players GM Kent Hughes is hoping to develop into full-time NHLers.
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 5 | 108 ANSWERS Elliotte Friedman links three players to the Montreal Canadiens as they look to add physicality Of the three players mentioned by Elliotte Friedman, who should the Montreal Canadiens target for more grit in their lineup? | ||
| Nicolas Deslauriers | 79 | 73.1 % |
| Samuel Blais | 17 | 15.7 % |
| Liam O'Brian | 12 | 11.1 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Zachary Werenski | 2 | 3 | 5 | |
| Sean Monahan | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| Jesper Bratt | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Frederick Gaudreau | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Jack Hughes | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Nikita Kucherov | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Mackenzie Weegar | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Kent Johnson | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Alexander Wennberg | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Mitchell Chaffee | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Anthony Cirelli | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Matthew Coronato | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Marcus Foligno | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Nick Foligno | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Conor Geekie | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Brandon Hagel | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Stefan Noesen | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Corey Perry | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Igor Sharangovich | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Dmitry Voronkov | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 19 | 16 | 3 | - | 32 | |
Wild | 19 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 29 | |
Hurricanes | 19 | 14 | 5 | - | 28 | |
Devils | 22 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 28 | |
Capitals | 19 | 13 | 5 | 1 | 27 | |
Golden Knights | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 26 | |
Maple Leafs | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 26 | |
Rangers | 18 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 25 | |
Panthers | 20 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 25 | |
Flames | 20 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 25 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||