Samuel Blais is too good for the AHL right now

The Canadiens made a damned good deal last summer when they signed Québécois forward Samuel Blais. At one year and minimum salary, Blais could only help the Habs (or the Rocket).

Kent Hughes’ mistake, however, was to send him to the waivers at the end of practice, rather than keeping him as the 14th forward with the big club. With Laine, Dach and Guhle, you had to expect injuries sooner rather than later in the season. But hey, the mistake was made… and it was corrected last week, when the Habs claimed Blais at the waivers.

Since the Habs were in the American West and the Rocket were nearby, in the northeast of Uncle Sam’s country, Hughes decided to send Blais with the Rocket, rather than the Canadiens.

It was the right thing to do.

Except, after Blais’ two games in the AHL – and the recent games of Florian Xhekaj and Jared Davidson – it’s high time Blais was recalled. The Québécois is just too good for the AHL right now.

In two short games this weekend, Blais collected two goals and two assists, and posted a plus-5 rating.

Note that Hershey and Lehigh Valley, the two teams the Rocket has faced in recent hours, are both playing for over .600 this season. And the Rocket went on to win both its weekend games (on the road) by just one goal.

On Friday, they even needed a shootout to get the win.

I think it’s safe to say that without Samuel Blais, the Rocket wouldn’t have won either of their weekend games.

Blais hits, he produces (he also had three points in eight games with the Maple Leafs), he’s experienced, he’s 6’2, he weighs over 200 pounds, he’s a local guy, he’s got character..

It seems obvious to me that he’ll be recalled in the next few hours. Especially since Florian Xhekaj had three very average games on the Habs ‘ last trip and Jared Davidson hasn’t played in Vegas or Denver since Alexandre Texier came on the scene.

In short, let’s bring Blais up and send Davidson back to Laval. Texier and Blais will alternate for the last forward spot in the lineup. Blais has no business in the AHL right now and the Habs are too young. That’s it!

Who knows? Maybe his eventual recall to Montreal will force the NHL, HockeyDb and EliteProspects the AHL to replace their poor Sammy or Sam with Samuel, in Blais’ “first name” field?

It’s like Daniel Brière. His first name isn’t Danny or Dan, it’s Daniel. And Daniel had to make sure himself at some point in his career that it was spelled that way on official NHL documents. The rest followed.

Extension

The American Thanksgiving is behind us, and this morning something hit me in the face with the NHL’s overall standings: only the Canadiens, of the seven Canadian teams, would be in the playoffs if they started this morning.

The Canadiens are in third place in the Atlantic, while not all the other Canadian teams are in a playoff position this morning.

On the other hand, the Canadiens are also just one point away from being eliminated from the playoff picture. In short, its place isn’t secure at all.

With two games in two nights this week, including against the Senators and Maple Leafs, there will be no easy games for the Montrealers. It’s up to them to find the solutions to keep themselves in the picture.

That said, just because you’re eighth in your association doesn’t necessarily mean you’re ready to compete in the playoffs. The Canadiens still need talent, grit, experience and healthy guys. For now, no, the Habs aren’t ready to win in the playoffs yet . But at least they’re in a position to make them…