Habs Claim Samuel Blais off Waivers from Maple Leafs

At the end of training camp, the Habs tried to sneak winger Samuel Blais through waivers but were unsuccessful, losing him to Toronto.  However, on Thursday, he rejoined the Canadiens after they claimed him off waivers from the Maple Leafs.

Blais signed a one-year, one-way contract worth the league minimum salary of $775,000 with Montreal back on July 1st.  At the time, the thought was that he’d serve as Michael Pezzetta’s replacement as the 13th forward, a role the former Hab (who signed with Toronto) had filled for a while.  As it turns out, Pezzetta cleared waivers in camp with the Maple Leafs adding Blais in his place.

Playing time was hard to come by for the 29-year-old with his new team, however.  He made just one appearance in October but did get into seven games with Toronto in November before being waived.  In those eight outings, Blais had a goal and two assists along with 28 hits in a little over eight minutes per night of playing time.

For his career, Blais has 28 goals and 46 assists along with 126 penalty minutes and 863 hits in 265 NHL appearances between the Blues, Rangers, and Maple Leafs.

Soon after claiming him, the Habs announced that Blais has been sent down to Laval.  This means that no other team put in a claim for his services.  Now that he has passed through the entire league unclaimed (Toronto waiving him satisfied that requirement), he became eligible to be sent to the Rocket.  He’ll serve as a key power forward with them and will look to play his way into a recall from there.