Canadiens organization makes several roster moves, opening the door to a Blais recall
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Leo Honein
April 22, 2026 (9:22 PM)
Photo credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images
Interesting roster moves have just been announced within the Montreal Canadiens organization.
The Laval Rocket have recalled seven players from the Trois-Rivières Lions of the ECHL: forwards Joe Dunlap, Mark Estapa, Egor Goriunov and Israel Mianscum, defenseman Charles Martin, and goaltenders Benjamin Gaudreau and Hunter Jones.
The Lions are not in the ECHL playoffs, so players with valid American Hockey League contracts are being brought up to Laval.
And that opens an interesting door.
With all this reinforcement arriving in Laval, the Laval Rocket could afford to send a player to Montreal.
The Montreal Canadiens could recall Samuel Blais for the series against the Tampa Bay Lightning
Samuel Blais would be the logical candidate, and many have been calling for his recall in recent hours.
His physical, hard-nosed style would be a perfect fit against the Tampa Bay Lightning, especially in a series where Jon Cooper has inserted an enforcer like Scott Sabourin into his lineup.Given Kirby Dach’s recent struggles, Samuel Blais could become an appealing option if the Canadiens are looking to add more physicality to the series against Tampa Bay.
Will general manager Kent Hughes take advantage of this to recall Blais and give head coach Martin St-Louis another option?
Journalist Vincent Demuy noted that the players recalled from Trois-Rivières could form “another group” with the Rocket during the American Hockey League playoffs.
That frees up space on Laval’s roster and gives the organization more flexibility.
The series is tied 1-1, and Game 3 will take place Friday night at the Bell Centre.
If it were your decision, would you recall Samuel Blais from the Laval Rocket?
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Canadiens organization makes several roster moves, opening the door to a Blais recall
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