Blais recorded a goal and three points in 18 games with the Maple Leafs. On November 26, he was waived to make room for Auston Matthews and Nicolas Roy who returned from injured reserve.
“I think it’s a good opportunity for me to be here, and it definitely helps to know some of the people here,” Blais said on Oct. 7. “I thought I had a good camp in Montreal, and I was just really happy to be here and have that opportunity in front of me.”
Blais was originally claimed off waivers from the Canadiens by the Maple Leafs on October 6. The 29-year-old signed a one-year contract with the Canadiens on July 1, but it was waived before playing a game with his hometown team. He spent most of last season with the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks, where he recorded 14 goals and 40 points in 51 games.
“He knows what I expect from him, and I know what I get from him,” Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube said of Blais when he joined the team. “I think more than anything I know what kind of player he is and what he brings to our team. He knows what I want, so it’s good to have him.”
“Sammy’s had a history with Chief going back to St. Louis, he won a Cup in St. Louis,” Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving said of Blais on Oct. 7. “If you look back, he was a really good player in St. Louis, went to New York, had a bad knee injury and had to kind of rebuild himself. He’s a player who spent last year in the American league and he was a big part of that team’s success, winning the Calder Cup.” Our staff has seen him a lot during his career, but especially last year he had a good opportunity in Montreal, he gives us some depth and some history with the coach.”
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