Canadiens Reassign Adam Engstrom

The Montreal Canadiens reassigned defenseman Adam Engström to their AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket.

The move comes in the aftermath of the Canadiens’ victory in game seven of their first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning. They are set to take on the Buffalo Sabres in the second round.

Top defenseman Noah Dobson returned from a hand injury to play in game seven, pushing Engström down a spot within the Canadiens’ depth chart of healthy blueliners. Arber Xhekaj came out of the lineup to accommodate Dobson’s return. With Xhekaj now available as a spare defenseman, there is less of a need for Engström to be on the NHL roster – hence today’s reassignment.

The status of the Rocket likely also impacted this move. Laval won their first game of their playoff series against the Toronto Marlies last week, but dropped the next two contests. They have surrendered 12 goals over their last two games, and would be eliminated with a loss tomorrow. This reassignment gives Laval one of their top defensemen back for the most important game of their season.

Engström, 22, was one of the Rocket’s top players in his time there this season. The 2022 third-round pick scored 10 goals and 34 points in 45 games this season, a performance that earned him 15 games at the NHL level.

When he was in Laval, Engström was the Rocket’s No. 1 defenseman, playing a heavy diet of minutes in all situations. He was ranked as the sixth-best prospect in the team’s system by Scott Wheeler of The Athletic.

If the Rocket do end up eliminated by the Marlies on Tuesday, expect Engström to return to the NHL roster in short order. But the hope in Montreal will be that he can help engineer a series turnaround for the Rocket and assist as they make a push for their first Calder Cup title in franchise history.