Joining the Canadiens as a free agent in 2014-15, Tom Gilbert was viewed as the heir apparent to long-time defensive stalwart Josh Gorges.
Gilbert’s arrival, after signing a two-year contract with the Habs, signaled a shift towards a new defensive mentality for the club. The departures of Gorges, along with Douglas Murray and Francis Bouillon, were indications that priority number one for the Canadiens’ blue-liners would be to move the puck out of their zone efficiently - whether they accomplished that or not is another story.
The expectation was that Gilbert would step in and fill the hole left by Gorges in the Habs’ top four.