The AHL's North Division continues to demonstrate a tight race to lock up the last one or two playoff positions available, but Laval has inched closer.
Last week, the Laval Rocket surprised fans once again with back-to-back upsets against a top team in the AHL. The Cleveland Monsters, having led the North Division for most of the season, found themselves leaving Laval with zero points after two games played against the Montreal Canadiens' affiliate.
Those victories, coupled with a point earned in overtime against Syracuse earlier in the week, have positioned Laval in a spot where moving into a playoff-qualifying position in the standings has become much more possible.
To help bolster the roster, Kent Hughes recently made two trades, acquiring Jacob Perreault and Arnaud Durandeau for Jan Mysak and Nathan Legare, respectively. Couple that with Hughes' move to put Joshua Roy and Jayden Struble on paper transactions last week, and the Rocket could find themselves with a more skilled roster if they make a postseason push.
With two games against a struggling Atlantic-division team on the calendar this week, then setting up a schedule in the second half of the month which pits Laval against all divisional opponents, every game played and every point earned will be extremely valuable if they hope to salvage their season.
On my latest episode of Rocket Hockey Report, I review all three Laval games played last week, provide details on the two AHL trades completed by Hughes, and set up this week's three-game action. Plus, learn more about the AHL trade deadline and the rules surrounding NHL recalls for the remainder of the regular season!
Simply click to watch the video below, or follow this link to watch on YouTube: TWO New Players Added to the Laval Rocket's Roster!
New Video: Introducing Laval's Newest Players
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWl_pYULwH0[/embed]
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