Since Montreal Canadiens defenseman Kaiden Guhle has been injured, the Habs have kept only six defensemen on their roster when they are in town. There’s no need to recall anyone with the Laval Rocket being so geographically close. Still, when on the road, they’ve been taking Marc DelGaizo along for the ride as an insurance policy, recalling him at the last minute, but not this time.
While the Tricolore had a day off yesterday, they made two announcements: the Alexandre Texier signing, on which there had been rumblings for the past few days, and Adam Engstrom's call-up.
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By calling him up on Sunday, the Canadiens ensured he would practice with the team this morning before they take off for their western road trip. When the Habs called up Del Gaizo, it didn’t feel like anything but an insurance policy; there was no sign that the 26-year-old, who has 46 games of NHL experience, might get a game. It’s different for the Swedish prospect.
The third-round pick at the 2022 draft has been on fire with the Laval Rocket of late, and his incredible five-assist performance on Saturday forced the Habs’ brass to take notice. With Jared Davidson, Joshua Roy and Florian Xhekaj all getting an opportunity to play with the big club because of numerous injuries, it makes sense to reward the best-performing defenseman with the AHL farm team.
Martin St-Louis said on Saturday night after the win against the Toronto Maple Leafs that he was impressed by the coaching staff’s work in Laval. He praised them because he felt the players who were called up showed up ready to play and had an easy transition. He also mentioned that the guys knocking on the door in the lower league are working hard because they want to make it to the higher level, and they need to believe that it could happen to keep performing as well.
Engstrom has played well enough to send a message to the organization. With Guhle out for the foreseeable future, there is no reason why the Canadiens’ defence corps should remain the same, no-questions-asked. Of course, Mike Matheson, Noah Dobson, Lane Hutson and Alexandre Carrier are safe in their role. But Arber Xhekaj and Jayden Struble have been in and out of the lineup over the last couple of seasons, and Engstrom has earned the right to be considered a viable alternative if either of them has an underwhelming game.
Given the fact that the Canadiens won Saturday’s game against the Maple Leafs, I don’t expect to see St-Louis make a change on the blueline, but if the Habs falter on the road in their three-game road trip (Utah Mammoth, Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche) I wouldn’t be shocked to see Engstrom get his first taste of NHL action. It would remain Xhekaj and Struble that even in Guhle’s absence, nothing is guaranteed. Internal competition is a good way to keep players on their toes and performing at their very best.
With 14 points in 18 games, it’s undeniable that Engstrom has an interesting offensive upside, but he also plays a sound defensive game. Would all of that translate at the NHL level? The only way to find out is to try him out…
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