Listen up, sports fans! We’ve got some juicy updates straight out of the rink. So, what’s the latest saga from the Montreal Canadiens? Well, hold onto your hockey sticks because Renaud Lavoie, our trusty source from TVA Sports, just spilled the beans that Mitchell Stephens didn’t catch anyone’s eye on the waiver wire and he’s packing his skates for a not-so-joyous jaunt back to the Laval Rockets. That’s right, folks, as of January 23rd, no dice for Stephens. He’s officially unclaimed and heading for colder pastures. Could have seen that one coming, right?
But let’s rewind for a second to January 22nd, when the Canadiens played musical chairs with their roster. They dropped a bit of a bomb and chucked good ol’ Mitchell Stephens onto waivers. At the same time, they were like, “Hey Justin Barron, why don’t you take a little trip to the AHL’s Laval? It’ll be fun!” Stephens had a previous stint in Laval this season, blitzing through the waiver process before the season kicked off. The dude must’ve had something in his cereal because he cranked out twelve points in just sixteen games down there before the Canadiens plucked him up on December first.
Barron, the 22-year-old defenceman, got the short end of the stick, too. He’s been hustling in 41 of Montreal’s 46 games but apparently, the higher-ups think he needs a timeout in the AHL. Last season, the kid snagged 15 points in 39 games with Montreal and chipped in another 16 in the AHL for good measure. This season? He’s sitting on twelve points.
Now, let’s talk about Stephens’ roller coaster of a career. The man was snatched up just a couple picks before Sebastian Aho in the 2015 NHL Draft, and that’s got to sting a little. He dipped his toes in professional hockey the next year with a five-game tease in the AHL. He boomeranged back to juniors, then came back for a full season in 2017-18 where he lit the lamp and rang up 41 points with the Syracuse Crunch. Fast forward to the 26-year-old’s life now, and he’s got a humble 95 NHL games under his belt with a grand total of 16 points to show for it. Still, his AHL game is strong – 137 points in 219 games. Not too shabby, but let’s be real. Stick to the AHL, Stephens!
And that’s the skinny, hockey nuts. The Canadiens are shuffling their deck, and it’s AHL IceCapades for Stephens and Barron. As always, stay tuned for the next shift in this ever-entertaining roster rumba.