Dave Pagnotta of the Fourth Period was on TSN Radio in Montreal and was asked about the Montreal Canadiens adding a little more size to the lineup in the form of Mathieu Olivier from the Columbus Blue Jackets after his fight with Arber Xhekaj on Saturday night.
NHLRumors.com Transcriptions
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Host: :Dave, a couple of weeks ago, we were talking about how the Canadiens were looking to add maybe a little bit of jam to their lineup, maybe somebody who could play the bottom six and provide some life. I couldn’t help but wonder, watching that fight, is Mathieu Olivier a guy who could be on the move?”
Dave Pagnotta: “I’m sure teams are going to be, contending are going to look at him. I don’t necessarily think that’s a fit for the Habs. But I do think you’re going to see other teams that are going to look at these types of players that, again, can keep up, can be part of your group down the stretch, in your bottom six, on your fourth line.
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Nick Deslauriers is another guy with one year on his contract after this season in Philly who’s going to get a look at as well to have that type of physicality in the lineup, especially down the stretch, and you can use it in certain moments come the playoffs. These players are certainly valuable. So would it surprise me, especially a team like Columbus? Would it surprise me that other teams try to pry him away? Absolutely not.
As we know this, there are other teams that have continuously called the Montreal Canadiens over the last couple of years and said, ‘Hey, what would it take to get Arber Xhekaj?’ And Kent Hughes has said, no, nothing, not even answering that. So, I think even, I believe it was last season, and it might have been last off-season, but at some point last season, a team. actually, now that I think about it, I think it was the offseason.
But anyway, a team pitched a late first-round pick for Xhekaj and the Canadiens said, ‘No, thanks.’ We like what we’ve got here. So yes, those types of players are certainly valuable, and especially when they’re young, and they fit the core of the group moving forward, so a guy like Olivier could certainly improve another team from the physical department, no question.”
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