Huge rumor about Mattias Norlinder: we have just witnessed a big turn of events, and the young defenseman is proving many people wrong
Without taking anything away from Emil Heineman and Logan Mailloux, who had excellent 2023 training camps with the Montreal Canadiens, we can undoubtedly agree that the biggest surprise this year is Mattias Norlinder.
While many truly believed it was over for him, and while absolutely no one saw him playing games in the NHL this season, just a few short days before the official start of the 2023 schedule, Norlinder is still with the Montreal Canadiens.
What's more, he is among those whom Martin St-Louis referred to as "the players of the 2023-24 edition of the Habs."
What an achievement and what a huge turn of events for him.
As the excellent Nicolas Cloutier of TVA Sports reminds us, a significant rumor circulated a few weeks ago regarding Norlinder.
A rumor suggesting that Norlinder was simply not going to show up at the Montreal training camp and that he would stay in Europe.
This would have apparently marked the end of Norlinder with the Habs.
As I write these lines, Norlinder is still in Montreal with a preseason game to play." - Nicolas Cloutier
And the worst part is, when this rumor surfaced, most fans and experts didn't care much because we had lost all faith in Norlinder.
Yet here he is today, having proven over the past few days that he still has the potential to be a solid NHL defenseman.
He may not be the "next Nicklas Lidstrom" that some saw a few years ago (including one expert whose name we'll keep quiet), but still!
We are so happy for him, and it will be really interesting to see what the future holds for him with the Habs.
Kent Hughes did so well to bring him back.
| POLL | ||
Which one holds the most value in your eyes for the Habs right now? | ||
| Norlinder | 157 | 59.7 % |
| Barron | 80 | 30.4 % |
| Lindstrom | 26 | 9.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
