Canadiens recall Gustav Lindström on emergency basis

The Montreal Canadiens have recalled defenseman Gustav Lindström from their AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket, on an emergency basis.

The move results from the fact that veteran blueliner David Savard is out indefinitely with an upper-body injury. It’s more bad injury news for the Canadiens early this season, who have lost a player to injury in three out of their five games played.

Lindström, 25, was acquired from the Detroit Red Wings in this past summer’s Jeff Petry trade. He didn’t make the Canadiens season-opening roster and cleared waivers, allowing him to begin his season in the AHL with the Laval Rocket.

A defense-first blueliner, Lindström brings decent size (he’s six-foot-two, nearly 200 pounds) to the Canadiens’ back end as well as 128 games of NHL experience.

Should he slot into Savard’s spot in the team’s lineup, those 128 games would actually make Lindström the second-most experienced Canadiens defenseman on the ice behind veteran Mike Matheson.

While he’s undoubtedly a downgrade from Savard, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Lindström is capable of providing head coach Martin St. Louis with capable minutes at the NHL level.

The key for the Canadiens may be figuring out the most effective way to utilize Lindström, as its unlikely he’ll be in a position to succeed if he’s asked to play the heavy workload Savard typically shoulders.