Home / News / We were so close to Karl Alzner playing as a first-line forward for the Canadiens tonight

We were so close to Karl Alzner playing as a first-line forward for the Canadiens tonight

By Ian Oland

 0 Comment

March 5, 2020 9:22 pm

Karl Alzner has spent a majority of the last two seasons in the AHL with the Laval Rocket, but on February 22, the Montreal Canadiens recalled the stay-at-home defenseman back to the NHL after Victor Mete and Xavier Ouellet suffered injuries. “I didn’t expect it at all,” Alzner said according to the Montreal Gazette, unsure that he’d ever return to the NHL.

Fast forward two weeks later, the Habs have even more injuries so head coach Claude Julien got creative. Without enough forwards at practice, Julien put Alzner on the first line.

Alzner skated with Phillip Danault and Artturi Lehkonen as a forward on the top line with Brendan Gallagher sick and Tomas Tatar out with a lower-body injury.

“I thought it was pretty funny, honestly,” Alzner, who has never scored more than five goals in a season, said. “I wasn’t expecting it. It’s funny, but it’s fun at the same time. I’ll be a utility player if that’s what my role is. I’d love to be a utility player.”

Alzner added, “There were some guys that played a couple games (as forward) in college or junior, I was never one of those guys,” he said. “It’s been a long time.”

After practice, Julien hoped that Gallagher would be able to play.

However, later in the day, the Habs learned he was too sick to suit up.

So would Alzner get his chance to show off his offensive skills on the top line?

NOOOOOOO!!! They made him the seventh defenseman!

Headline photo courtesy of Montreal Canadiens

,