A Montreal Canadiens prospect sadly on the way to leaving the organization? This has just been suggested for Mattias Norlinder
The young defenseman Mattias Norlinder has had a special journey within the Montreal Canadiens organization, to say the least.
After being drafted in the 3rd round in 2019, Norlinder showed promise as a future NHL player.
An expert in Sweden had even sadly famously compared him to the great Nicklas Lidstrom.
Obviously, this was a huge exaggeration, but Norlinder was indeed on a fairly interesting development trajectory.
Subsequently, as you know, things got more complicated over the last few years, up to the 2023 training camp.
Last September, the exciting and promising Norlinder was back! He had an extraordinary camp and many even saw him with the CH this season.
Unfortunately, things have really gone downhill in recent weeks.
Norlinder has fallen back into old habits and is having an extremely difficult season with the Laval Rocket.
In 16 games, he has only two tiny points, and a differential of -18. Ouch.
Things are going so badly that many believe it's the end for him.
And as you can see in the comments, many well-known observers agree.
Additionally, the Montreal Canadiens have a significant surplus of defensemen in their structure, a nice problem for Kent Hughes but possibly the final blow for a young player like Norlinder.
It's quite evident that his future in professional hockey is not with the Montreal Canadiens. We tried!
He will become a restricted free agent at the end of the current season, but it would be surprising if he gets a contract extension. Contracts are limited.
And in your opinion, where will Norlinder be in a year?
| POLL | ||
And in your opinion, where will Mattias Norlinder be in a year? | ||
| MTL | 100 | 14.9 % |
| Laval | 120 | 17.8 % |
| Europe | 300 | 44.6 % |
| Other team in the NHL | 153 | 22.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
