Canadiens place veteran defenseman on waivers

The Montreal Canadiens have placed defenseman Gustav Lindstrom on waivers. The 25-year-old has appeared in 14 games with Montreal this season, scoring three goals and four points while averaging just over 15 minutes of ice time. He is one of eight defenders currently on Montreal’s roster, sharing the role of extra defenseman with Johnathan Kovacevic.

Lindstrom is in his fifth NHL season, making his debut with the Red Wings during the 2019-20 season – the same year he came over from Sweden’s Frolunda HC. Detroit selected Lindstrom with the 38th overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, just one pick before the Dallas Stars selected Jason Robertson, who has become an emphatic scorer with 118 goals and 274 points in 249 career games. He moved to the Canadiens organization in mid-August, joining the team alongside a 2025 fourth-round pick in exchange for Jeff Petry, who has since gone on to record 11 points and a +2 in 31 games with the Red Wings.

Lindstrom has been out of the Canadiens lineup since Dec. 9, when he recorded a -1 and one penalty in a shootout win over the Buffalo Sabres. The defenseman cleared waivers on Oct. 8, starting the season with the AHL’s Laval Rocket before he was brought up as an emergency recall in late October. He spent one more week in the minors in early November before sticking around the Canadiens lineup for the last two months. Lindstrom has played in four AHL games this year, going without a point but recording one penalty and a -6. He will likely look to add to those stats if he clears waivers once again.