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‘It’s going to be great for him’ -- Habs send Sergachev back to junior

2016 NHL Draft - Round One

BUFFALO, NY - JUNE 24: Mikhail Sergachev celebrates with the Montreal Canadiens after being selected ninth overall during round one of the 2016 NHL Draft on June 24, 2016 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

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On Monday, the Habs announced that Mikhail Sergachev -- the 18-year-old blueliner taken ninth overall at the draft -- has been re-assigned to OHL Windsor after spending all of October in Montreal, appearing in three games.

It’s a move that, apparently, was always in the cards.

“The plan was to keep him a month and evaluate after that,” Habs GM Marc Bergevin said, per the club’s Twitter account. “He needs to go play. It’s going to be great for him.”

Sergachev impressed team brass during training camp and the exhibition campaign, earning an opening-night roster spot over Mark Barberio.

But, as Bergevin noted today, the club is playing well and has solid depth across the lineup, making it tough for the rookie to secure minutes.

The Habs also saw some potentially troublesome developments -- specifically, Sergachev tailoring his style of play to survive and stick with the NHL club.

Sergachev has loads of skill and is a gifted offensive d-man, so it should be fun to see him follow up on his ’15-16 campaign in Windsor, when he scored 17 goals and 57 points in 67 games.

The Spitfires should be a contender for the Memorial Cup, which is another reason Montreal was keen to send Sergachev down. Windsor is currently being led by a fellow first-rounder from this year’s draft -- Logan Brown, taken 11th overall by Ottawa.