Montreal Canadiens Send Louis Leblanc Back To Hamilton

Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports

The Montreal Canadiens sent forward Louis Leblanc back to the Hamilton Bulldogs today prior to their game with the Carolina Hurricanes.

Leblanc has been battling illness the last few days and missed practice yesterday. It was likely he wasn’t going to play today regardless and that this was a salary cap move. The Canadiens have been trying to limit their cap usage all season long whether it be the yo-yo callups of Nathan Beaulieu or not replacing the injured Alex Galchenyuk and Ryan White sooner.

By sending Leblanc down when he was likely to be scratched anyways, this saves one day of his salary against the cap, which might not seem like a lot but why not save it. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Leblanc recalled before the Canadiens next game Thursday against the Boston Bruins if he is healthier.

Leblanc played well, if sparingly, since being recalled. He played a team low in minutes for most of the games, but seemed to make the most of his opportunities in the offensive zone despite playing on the fourth line.

I don’t know why the team hasn’t given Leblanc a chance to shine like they have with Mikael Bournival at times (but even he has been limited lately) and definitely don’t think that George Parros is a better option than Leblanc.

The Canadiens have to be near the end of their rope when it comes to benefit of the doubt, but until further notice, I’d chalk this assignment to salary cap savings rather than a pure hockey move. Time will tell, however.