Sammy Blais Dominates In Rocket Debut

In his debut with the Rocket, Blais made his impact very quickly as he scored a beautiful goal by using his body and powering his way to the net by cutting across the slot to help give the Rocket a 2-1 lead over the Phantoms during the first period of his career with the Rocket.

The fact that Blais was able to pull off a powering move so easily and fast at the AHL level in what was his first game with his new team shows that he likely belongs at the NHL level sooner or later. Especially considering the style of player that Blais is fits with what the Habs need most in their bottom six. There had been reports that after the Habs claimed him, the plan was only to keep him in the AHL for a very limited time, and based on how he looked with the Rocket already, it looks like those reports have some serious truth to them.

Late in Saturday’s game is when he scored his 2nd goal of the night with Jacob Fowler pulled and the extra attacker out on the ice. The game-tying goal came after Blais tipped home a Joshua Roy point shot, showing his ability to be a strong net presence at the AHL level and send the game to overtime.

If the Canadiens do end up deciding they will keep Blais in the AHL, he has shown that he can potentially be an elite forward that can help the Rocket win close games like on Saturday. However, the way he has played this weekend, it will be hard for the Habs to leave him in the AHL for a long period of time.

In the shootout, Blais skated in slowly and went forehand-backhand on the Phantoms’ netminder, which went top corner, helping the Rocket win their 13th game of the season.

During Sunday’s game, Blais also added 2 assists to show his ability to be a playmaker at the AHL level. First by setting up Alex Belzile along the boards to get the Rocket on the board. Then later, he played a give-and-go game with David Reinbacher, who took a shot that was tipped by Marc Del Gaizo.

At the NHL level, he wouldn’t bring the same amount of offence that he’s brought in a game and a half with the Rocket, but he could be a great forechecker that has the potential to put up some offence as a physical forward in the bottom six. It will be interesting to see if playing for his hometown team would allow him to re-unlock his game from his time with the St. Louis Blues. Despite being a few years away from his best seasons with the Blues, Blais is only 29 years old and still in the middle of his prime years.

It’s unlikely he puts up a 30-point pace again, but playing on a big physical 4th line could be the move for the Habs if they decide to bring Blais up to play with someone like Florian Xhekaj and Josh Anderson. That line could potentially be a nightmare on the forecheck and maybe lead to producing some offence with the room those players will create for each other.

It’s pretty clear that Blais would be a great asset for creating offence at the AHL level, but at the same time, the Habs will likely want to bring him up to add more sandpaper to their lineup.

Would you keep Blais in the AHL to dominate offensively, or would you bring him up to add sandpaper at the NHL level?