Earlier in the week, Andrew Berkshire posed some questions on what should be done with Louis Leblanc. Andrew’s contention was pretty simple: be patient. Louis Leblanc, notwithstanding his struggles, is still clearly a serviceable player in the AHL and has the potential to be an effective NHL player in the future. His cost would be extremely low, and as Andrew put it, essentially just a roster spot. Holding on to Louis would mean he could either become the player he was originally billed to be, or he could add more value to himself for a future trade.
Marc Bergevin apparently does not subscribe to this train of thought, trading the young Bulldog for a conditional fifth round pick. By most accounts, this is a disappointing return for a player that was once highly touted in the Canadiens system, and had the distinct advantage of being home grown. Leblanc will have to play 15 games with the Ducks next season for the Habs to claim the 5th round pick.
While Leblanc is a player that has definitely struggled in recent years, but not entirely by his own fault. If I’m putting it nicely, the development of Louis Leblanc has not exactly been handled in the best possible way. He was often saddled with inferior linemates, and there were rumours of some problems between him and head coach Sylvain Lefebvre. He got very little powerplay time and the arrivals of Christian Thomas and Sven Andrighetto seemed to have made him expendable. But, does anyone think that this return is enough for Louis? I certainly do not.
