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Wednesday night, the Canadiens won, but two young players headed to Laval.
A few minutes after a 3-2 overtime win against the Winnipeg Jets, management confirmed that Florian Xhekaj and Adam Engstrom were being assigned to the Laval Rocket. The evening therefore ended with a solid two points in the standings, but also with a personnel move that quickly got the Bell Centre crowd talking.
“The Canadiens have loaned forward Florian Xhekaj and defenseman Adam Engstrom to the Laval Rocket.” – Montreal Canadiens
Among fans, the reaction is split between surprise and excitement. We are, after all, talking about two prospects who have just tasted the NHL and who had a good camp. But as we already saw in October, these shuttles between Montreal and Laval are part of the Canadiens’ development plan, not a disguised punishment.
Xhekaj, 21 years old, arrives with a unique profile for the Rocket. The 6-foot-4, 204-pound winger is coming off a season of 24 goals, 35 points, and 175 penalty minutes in Laval, and he already has four points and 44 penalty minutes in 16 games this year in the AHL.
Engstrom, 22 years old, has also performed well since arriving in North America. The left-shot defenseman, standing 6-foot-2 and 198 pounds, tallied 27 points in 66 games last year with the Rocket, before adding 14 points in 18 games this season, along with a +8 rating.
The return of Florian Xhekaj strengthens the Rocket’s depth
The good news for Laval is that Pascal Vincent gets back two important pieces while his club sits atop the North Division with a 15-6-0-0 record and a +18 goal differential.
For both players, this return to the Rocket mostly means quality ice time. In Laval, they can play in all situations, hear their names called often, and continue piling up points in a winning environment, in front of a Place Bell that never disappoints when it comes to atmosphere.
We saw last year how effectively Vincent can get the most out of his young players.
In the end, Montreal keeps two motivated young players in the system, Laval strengthens an already dominant team, and fans will get some extra entertainment at Place Bell.
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Canadiens complete two-player roster move after win over the Jets
Did the Canadiens make the right call by sending down Florian Xhekaj and Adam Engstrom?