News trickled out earlier today that the Montreal Canadiens have placed Dustin Boyd on waivers.
So much for that possible solution on the wing for Gomez and Gionta, right?
Boyd, who was acquired along with Dan Ellis in the deal that saw Sergei Kostitsyn shipped off to Nashville, was a very minor cap hit of $650,000, so this move was clearly not based on clearing cap space alone.
Personally, I find it to be a rather odd move on behalf of the Habs as 15 games is not really enough to give a new player a fair shake. Boyd didn't even get to play in all of the Canadiens games, essentially failing to click with any of the players he was paired with - highlighted by his -6 in 9 games in a Habs jersey.
Unfortunately for Dustin, it just didn't work out in Montreal.
Clearly the coaches and management were not impressed with his play through the early goings and one has to wonder if there was anything beyond his stagnant start that led him to the waiver wire?
Regardless, I would expect someone to claim the 24 year old with 219 games of NHL experience.
I liked the grit and Western Conference style of play that Boyd was supposedly going to bring to the Canadiens, yet as was evident from his lackluster start, Montreal was not going to be the spot for Dustin to continue his career.
The only caveat I will add to that is that if Dustin manages to clear waivers and reports to Hamilton, one can only wonder if he would eventually called back up or simply left in the AHL for the remainder of the year?
This move can signal a few things.
One would be that, as I mentioned, the staff was simply not impressed with how he has played and his inability to fit into such a tight roster.
It could also be the fact that perhaps some of the younger drafted prospects finding success on the farm(perhaps ones that are making lots of noise...) have forced the team's hand?
Of course, there is also always the possibility that the extra cap space could be indicative of a possible trade...or signing(?)...but all of that would ideally be too far-fetched.
Never say never, but from all appearances, it would appear that the Habs were simply not impressed with how Boyd was working out and had decided to move on.
We'll see what this move leads to, (a callup?), but at least in the meantime the Canadiens can add to their total available cap space, money which doubles daily thanks to the fortuitous pro-rating of NHL contracts.
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Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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