The offseason has hit a bit of a lull after an exciting few weeks. As expected, the Montreal Canadiens were busy at the NHL Draft, acquiring Alex Newhook from the Colorado Avalanche and selecting defenceman David Reinbacher with the no. 5 overall pick. It also isn’t surprising that they have been quiet in free agency as they continue to look towards the future and work on developing their promising young core.
General manager Kent Hughes did make a few interesting signings on the open market to help the Laval Rocket in the American Hockey League (AHL), including taking a chance on forward Lias Andersson who is very familiar to Habs’ brass. Here’s everything you need to know about Montreal’s newest acquisition.
Reunited With Gorton and Bobrov
Andersson was drafted seventh overall by the New York Rangers when Jeff Gorton was the general manager and Nick Bobrov was the Director of European Scouting for the Blueshirts. Both executives now work for the Canadiens and are hoping a second chance to unlock his potential will be more successful than the first given how well they know him.
It’s another attempt at a reclamation project for the Habs and their revamped player development team. It worked with Kirby Dach, now they’ll try to get the best out of both Andersson and Newhook, two players who have yet to hit their full stride in the NHL.
Andersson has 17 points in 110 NHL games with New York and the Los Angeles Kings. The 24-year-old centre has appeared in just 21 games at the highest level over the past two seasons, but he has become a dominant player in the AHL. Last season, he put up 31 goals and 59 points in 67 games with the Ontario Reign so regardless of whether he can find his place with the Habs, he’ll be a valuable asset for the Rocket down the middle with his size and skill. He represents talent and depth they have rarely had the opportunity to have in their AHL lineup or the option to call up in the event of injuries.
A Winding Career Road
After being chosen no. 7 overall, Andersson spent time with Frölunda in the Swedish Hockey League, the Hartford Wolf Pack in the AHL, and made his NHL debut during the 2017-18 campaign. He played his first game with the Rangers against the Washington Capitals and became the youngest player in Rangers history to score a goal in his first NHL game. It turned out to be the highlight of his tenure in the Big Apple as he was traded less than two years later to the Kings in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2020 draft who turned out to be Will Cuylle.
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Before being a lottery pick by the Rangers, Andersson was named to Team Sweden for the 2016 IIHF World U18 Championships and contributed to his country’s silver medal performance by putting up nine points in seven games. He was again named to Team Sweden for the 2017 World Juniors, where he scored three goals. He was then named captain of Team Sweden for the same tournament the following year and earned another second-place finish on the international scene but made headlines when he threw his medal into the crowd in frustration, a gesture which ignited quite the controversy.
Andersson comes from a hockey family. His father Niklas played 763 SHL games and 165 NHL games while his uncle Mikael skated in 761 NHL games.
Bringing in Andersson isn’t exactly a groundbreaking signing that projects to move the needle a lot for the Canadiens, but it’s a shrewd contract, a risk worth taking that could pay dividends for both the team and the player beginning this season.