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Merry Late Christmas Justin Barron |
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Follow me @KarineHains for all updates about the Montreal Canadiens and women's hockey
The Canadiens have not been spared by injuries so far this season whether it’s up front or on the blue line. New acquisition Mike Matheson wasn’t able to start the season, veteran blueliner Joel Edmundson either and while they did both come back to the line-up, Matheson is now out again and so is shot blocking expert David Savard.
Once again, the Canadiens only have 6 healthy defensemen on the roster, and this is a perfect opportunity to recall someone from Laval with Barron being the obvious choice. The 21-year-old defenseman played 5 games with the Habs last year after he was acquired from the Colorado Avalanche in return for Arturri Lehkonen. He showed good puck handling skills and great mobility but went down with an ankle injury and his season ended abruptly.
At training camp, many thought he would have an inside track to make the team, but it really wasn’t so. He was one step behind Guhle, Harris and Xhekaj and got a ticket to Laval instead. His start in the AHL didn’t exactly go smoothly as the Rocket struggled early and he spent some time in the infirmary as well. But he’s now healthy and in 25 AHL games, he has gathered 16 points (7 goals and 9 assists).
The injuries to Canadiens’ veterans blueliners will no doubt give Barron a chance to prove that he’s improved since the start of the season and closed the gap between himself and the other young defensemen on the team. A right shooting defenseman, Barron will likely go in for Chris Wideman who’s really better suited as a 7th D than anything else. I know, that would mean 5 rookie defensemen in the line-up with Kovacevic as well, but if there’s one thing that we’ve learnt watching St-Louis go this season, it’s that he’s not afraid to trust his young players.
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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