While he currently is not signed to an entry-level contract, Cale Fleury could very well begin his professional career this season. Thanks in part to his birthday, the Canadiens have options for the third-round pick, including having him play the year in the AHL if they wanted him among their professional ranks in 2018.
It’s not a matter of room either, as in the AHL right now the only right-shot defencemen is Brett Lernout, who, entering his fourth AHL season, hasn’t proven to be an NHL-calibre prospect. With Weber out, it stands to reason that Montreal will give Lernout every chance to prove otherwise, but that leaves the Laval Rocket with the offensively minded Matt Taormina and perhaps one of the rookie Czechs — all left-handed blue-liners — on the defensive side of things.