With two defenders in the infirmary, and another whose status raises questions, the Canadian needed reinforcement on the blue line at the dawn of a trip to the West Coast. The organization therefore recalled Jayden Struble from the Laval Rocket. If called to play in the coming days, the 22-year-old American would make his NHL debut.
Arber He has already skipped the next match, Saturday in Boston, and did not accompany his team to California. His case is reassessed on a daily basis, maintains the team, which did not provide further information on his condition on Monday. With David Savard still nursing a hand injury, two regular defenders are missing.
Furthermore, the health of Jordan Harris leaves the informed observer skeptical. The defender, who missed his club’s training in order to undergo “treatments” on Monday, is going through a curious sequence:
However, he is with the team on the road.
Otherwise, management added the name of Rafael Harvey-Pinard to the injured list, without recalling an attacker from the minor leagues. The Quebecer remained in Montreal.
With the addition of Struble, the Habs left for the west of the continent with three goalkeepers, seven defensemen – counting Harris – and 12 forwards. It’s slim: if a skater gets injured on offense, head coach Martin St-Louis will be forced to deploy an 11-7 formation if deadlines are too tight for a player to arrive as reinforcement from the East Coast.
The CH will train in Anaheim this Tuesday before facing the Ducks on Wednesday evening. Two duels in San Jose and Los Angeles will follow on Friday and Saturday, each time in the afternoon.
The recall of Struble is quite a vote of confidence in the young man.
The man who concluded his university career last spring is currently playing his first professional season. As a rookie, he quickly made his place within a defensive group which, it should be noted, experienced all kinds of problems this fall.
He also benefits from the setbacks of his older colleagues. Mattias Norlinder, after an excellent training camp in Montreal, collapsed on Île Jésus. This is evidenced by his two small points in 14 games, a low total for an offensive defender like him, but also his abysmal differential of -15 in 14 games.
William Trudeau also had a strong camp, but he has since struggled defensively. As for Nicolas Beaudin, he seems quite far down in the left-handed hierarchy.
On the right flank, Logan Mailloux quickly made a good impression offensively (9 points in 15 games), but he is still getting to grips with the level of play in the American League.
So here is Struble, CH’s second-round pick (46th overall) in 2019. He stood out not only in attack (6 points in 12 games), but also through his robustness and mobility in defense.
“He’s a good skater, he competes on the ice and he’s capable of being physical,” Martin St-Louis said about him. Mike Matheson, who also once played in the university ranks, encouraged his young colleague to sobriety. “He’s here for a reason, that means he’s adapting well to the professional league,” noted the Montrealer. He has to bring what he knows how to do: it’s not because he’s here that he has to change his game.”
Struble, for his part, did not give in to exaltation. Calmly, he acquiesced when a reporter asked him if his style served him better in the American League than in the NCAA. He thus described himself as “tough to face” and “tiring” for the opponent. It should be noted, moreover, that he does not seem to have skipped a day at the gym in the last decade.
“I think things are going well in Laval,” he summarized. I’m happy with my start to the season. I work hard every day, I get better. I think I’m in a good place, but I have to keep working. »
Struble, incidentally, was assigned jersey number 47, a first since Kenny Agostino left the team in 2019. That’s saying something.
