The 23-year-old defenseman beat out four competitors for the final blueline vacancy, pairing size and toughness with a defensive reliability designed to anchor Carolina’s third defensive unit.
The Carolina Hurricanes entered training camp with five players competing for a single spot on the blueline and, in the end, it seems that third-year pro Charles Alexis Legault has won the job.
The 23-year-old defenseman made the Canes' 23-man opening night roster and since he's been practicing alongside Shayne Gostisbehere on the team's third pairing, it's probably safe to assume that he will indeed be playing as that sixth defenseman.
"It feels good," Legault said on making the opening night roster, "But I have to keep working hard and battling every day to keep this spot."
According to Rod Brind'Amour, Legault's combination of size and skating, paired with the fact that the righty would balance out the blueline's handedness, were the biggest reasons why he earned the first crack at the job.
"You have to go earn your spot and he's definitely done that to this point," Brind'Amour said.
"We went with the guys who we felt showed the most in the preseason and were most ready to go," said Carolina general manager Eric Tulsky.
The 6-foot-4 defender is someone the organization has been closely paying attention to and he appeared in 12 games with the Hurricanes last season before missing multiple moths due to lacerating the tendons in his hand on a skate blade.
"I think you get more comfortable with the system every year," Legault said. "You understand more what they want out of you and I think I understand that better now. I mean, there's still a lot of work to do, so gonna have to keep on working on that."
Legault brings a steady, defensive game to the Canes' blueline, something that makes him potentially a better fit in that specific position with what the team is looking for than Alexander Nikishin.
Obviously his offensive game is nowhere near Nikishin's level, but a steady defensive presence should be a good complement for Gostisbehere's game.
"He's a pretty offensive guy and I'm a pretty defensive guy, so I think I can bring a good balance to that pairing," Legault said. "Obviously he's a super skilled player, so I'll just give him the puck and let him do his thing."
"Obviously miss Niki with everything that's going on with him, but Charles is a big body back there and a righty, which'll be a little different too," Gostisbehere said. "Brings an element of toughness as well and he takes pride in his defensive game and he takes pride in what he does every day. He takes his craft seriously and he knows he has a big opportunity. He won't let the moment get too big."
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