The Montreal Canadiens currently have four prospects playing across the Atlantic, and with the European season getting closer, Patrik Bexell and Anton Rasegård decided to go through some expectations for the upcoming year.
Some players start the season off with exclamation points following their name, while others carry significant question marks. What could the Habs hope to get out of Otto Leskinen, Joni Ikonen, Jacob Olofsson and Mattias Norlinder during the 2020-21-season?
Obviously, Norlinder has once again been the talk of the town after scoring a hat trick for his new team, Frölunda, in one of the pre-season games. What strides can he take under his new head coach, Roger Rönnberg, a coach who has a great track record with developing young defencemen?
For Ikonen, the situation is different. After two years riddled with injuries, he is attempting a fresh start with Ilves. Will Joni be able to get back on track this season and, most importantly, can he stay healthy?
With the draft suddenly looming around the corner, the Swedes discuss whether there could be any specific European prospects to look for at pick 16.
Naturally, they also need to give a few opinions about Marc Bergevin’s latest roster move. Is Montreal’s goalie situation finally under control after the Jake Allen trade?
