The Montreal Canadiens certainly hope that their notable roster change won’t be as noticeable as the New York Rangers getting Derek Stepan back, but it’s a noteworthy alteration nonetheless. They’ll see a defensive swap as Nathan Beaulieu replaces Alexei Emelin in the lineup.
Update: It appears to be an injury-related move.
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Word was that Emelin's knee was feeling the rigour of the playoffs. Word seems to be right. He's not taking the warm up. Beaulieu in.
— Brian Wilde (@BWildeMTL) May 27, 2014
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Alexei Emelin, blessé, ne participe pas au match de ce soir. / Alexei Emelin not playing tonight due to an injury.
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) May 28, 2014
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The Canadiens likely hope this change isn’t noteworthy - neither player generally lights up the scoreboard, after all - but it might have a negative impact on other blueliners.
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Mike Weaver playing with Andrei Markov severely hampers how Andrei Markov can be used. I'd imagine we'll see a number of partners with him.
— Arpon Basu (@ArponBasu) May 27, 2014
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