The Montreal Canadiens have re-claimed forward Samuel Blais off waivers after he was placed there by the Toronto Maple Leafs. Blais, who was a member of the Canadiens during the pre-season, was previously waived by Montreal and subsequently claimed by Toronto, reuniting him with his former St. Louis Blues coach, Craig Berube.

During his stint with the Maple Leafs, Blais appeared in eight games, recording one goal and two assists. With the return of players off the injury reserve list, it became a numbers game for roster spots. “When I was in Toronto, didn’t play a lot of games,” Samuel Blais said during a Zoom conference,” I played, like eight games in almost two months. It was kind of hard to get going a little bit, but I thought the game I played there went really well. I Played some good games, and some guys came back from injury, and I was the one that got put on waivers”

The Canadiens were the only team to submit a claim, which permitted them to assign Blais directly to their American Hockey League affiliate, the Laval Rocket.

Blais’s assignment comes at a time for the Canadiens, who have seen their organizational depth challenged by injuries. By sending Blais to Laval, Montreal helps to replenish their AHL lineup, allowing the Rocket to continue to compete at the highest level.

Blais’s addition to Laval’s roster strengthens the team’s forwards where his experience and versatility will be important assets. “For me, it’s just getting back to what I’ve been doing the past year,” Blais said. “Last year, I think I got my game back in order in Abbotsford (Canucks, AHL) and thought I had a good training camp here and played some good games in Toronto. I’m just trying to bring my game here and hopefully help the team win.”

Blais made an impact in his first game as he potted a pair and had the shootout game winner in Laval’s 5-4 victory over the Lehigh Valley Phantoms last Saturday in Lehigh Valley. His second goal of the game was the equalizer with 37 seconds remaining in regulation time, forcing overtime. He followed up in Sunday’s 4-3 win over the Bears in Hershey by assisting on Laval’s first two goals.

Ice Chips

Laval Rocket defenseman Adam Engström has been selected as the Howies Hockey Tape/AHL Player of the Week for the period ending November 23.Engström tallied three goals (including two game-winners) and four assists for seven points in three games for the Rocket. He capped his week with his first career recall to the parent Montréal Canadiens. Engström scored in each of Laval’s three contests, beginning Wednesday evening vs. Syracuse. On Friday night, his overtime tally gave the Rocket a 4-3 victory over Belleville. And in Saturday’s rematch with the Senators, Engström tied a franchise record with five points, scoring once and adding four assists in Laval’s 7-2 win. n