You probably remember Éric Gélinas.
We’re talking about a great defender who was drafted in the 2nd round by the Devils (2009) and who is recognized for the quality of his slap shot.
Another interesting fact: he played with the Laval Rocket during the 17-18 season, and he finished the campaign with 26 points (13 goals) in 64 games. Only Matt Taormina was ahead of him in points accumulated for a defenseman in Laval that year.
Gélinas then left for Europe and has been around the leagues a bit in recent years. He spent a stay in the KHL, he played in Sweden, he made a short return to the American League before returning to Sweden, he played the last two seasons of his career in Switzerland…
He walked around quite a bit, then.
But now he will be in Quebec in the coming days because an interesting proposition was offered to him.
The defender was invited to the Laval Rocket camp, which will begin shortly:
The news is interesting because at 33 years old, Gélinas has a lot of experience.
He knows the American League, and he could bring a lot of positive things to a young club like the Laval Rocket off the ice.
That said… Maybe it’s on the ice that could cause a problem.
I say this for two things in particular:
- The defender hasn’t played much in recent years
- The main player’s offensive production has also fallen in recent years
I wonder if David Reinbacher’s injury has anything to do with Gélinas’ invitation to camp.
We know that the Austrian could miss several months and in Laval, there will be guys who will have to fill important seats.
Gélinas could be called upon to do so because of his experience, but that is also far from guaranteed.
Again, he will have to fight for a position… But the addition of a guy like him (if he is able to stay healthy and have an impact on the ice) can only be positive for the Rocket from Laval, who will need older players to calibrate things a little.
In burst
– It’s no surprise.
– It smells bad…
– WOW !
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