When the Montreal Canadiens announced their 23-man roster for the start of the 2021-22 season, it included 2017 first round pick
Ryan Poehling. Less than 48 hours after roster was revealed, the Canadiens sent Poehling to their AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket.
Of course, many fans of the Canadiens will look at this move and call Poehling a bust, and that he hasn't lived up to expectation after that thrilling hat trick against Toronto in his NHL debut on April 6th 2019.
But it's not as complex as that, and really isn't fair given the fact he hasn't played a full season in either the NHL or AHL. He played in one game with the Canadiens at the end of the 2018-19 season, split time with Montreal and Laval during the 2019-20 season which was cut short due to COVID-19. Then for the 2020-21 season, he played in the shortened AHL season with the Rocket.
Sending the 22-year-old to Laval could mean that someone is close to returning to the Canadiens from injury.
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Montreal's 23-man roster was broken down into 15 forwards, six defencemen, and two goaltenders. Most teams in the NHL carry 14 forwards, seven defencemen, and two goaltenders. The Canadiens have some injuries on defence, Sami Niku,
Mattias Norlinder, both of whom are day-to-day, as well as
Joel Edmundson, who will likely return towards the end of October. By sending Poehling to the AHL, this could indicate that Sami Niku is ready to return to the lineup.
The Lakeville, Minnesota native has played in 28 career games for the Canadiens and has tallied five points (one goal, four assists), four penalty minutes, and was a minus-one.
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