Before taking off on their western road trip, the Montreal Canadiens recalled a couple of players from the Laval Rocket. Not because there were new injuries, but because it makes sense to carry extra players on the roster when you’re playing so far away from the farm team.
On the back end, the Habs recalled veteran defenseman Marc Del Gaizo, and up front, Joshua Roy received the call, while Owen Beck was sent back down to Laval. Over the course of his two games with the big club, the youngster was held off the scoresheet, took a single shot on net, and finished with a minus-one rating. On Monday night, he only had 12 shifts for just over eight minutes of ice time and wasn’t particularly visible.
Canadiens: Hutson Had Historic First 90 Games
Canadiens Star's Hot Start Has Become Even More Impressive
Canadiens Win On Back Of Big Performances From Dobes And Dobson
With Kirby Dach on the ice this morning, a full participant at practice, and traveling with the team, he will make his return to action sometime during this trip. If he slides into the spot left vacant by Beck, Roy will serve as an insurance policy, but if Martin St-Louis decides to remove Joe Veleno from the lineup, Roy could get his chance. Veleno committed a costly turnover on Monday night, and he only saw 9:27 of action.
As for Patrik Laine, he’s staying in Montreal for now and won’t play. On the blueline, it may be surprising to see Del Gaizo be called up since Adam Engstrom had such a good camp, but the fact is, he won’t get to play unless Arber Xhekaj and Jayden Struble can’t rise to the occasion.
It’s better to call on a veteran to do that than to up Engstrom, who’s only 21 years old and still developing. There’s no point calling him up to sit him in the press box. As for who will be in net in Calgary, that’s a question Martin St-Louis has refused to answer.
Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.
Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens.
Join the discussion by signing up to the Canadiens' roundtable on The Hockey News.