Acquired from waivers by the Habs on December 5, Kale Clague has already played two games in his new team's uniform. Two games that ended in a loss, and during which Clague didn't quite look his best.
Used on the right side of defenseman Brett Kulak, the 22-year-old played a total of 36 minutes in those two games and was the third most used defenseman by Dominique Ducharme against the Blackhawks on Thursday.
However, he was guilty of seven turnovers in those two games, giving him an average of 12 turnovers per 60 minutes of playing time. In comparison, Jeff Petry leads the National Hockey League in turnovers, averaging only 3.44 per 60 minutes...
While the sample size is very small, this is obviously a very unenviable stat for Clague. However, it is quite normal for a young 22-year-old defenseman to have some difficulties adapting to his new environment, especially in the current context of the CH.
The potential is still there in his case, and all that remains is to find the right formula to allow him to develop in winning conditions.