Montreal Canadiens acquire veteran Blair Betts off waivers from Philadelphia Flyers -NHL Update
Montreal Canadiens made another move before kicking off the 2011-2012 National Hockey League (NHL) regular season by acquiring veteran centre, Blair Betts, off waivers from Philadelphia Flyers, which would add to the offensive depth of the team looking to
make it big next season on Wednesday, October 5.
Canadiens have always been lacking strength and power in the centre part of the ice and claimed Bretts for that specific reason after thorough discussions within the team with players and coaching staff.
After having a chat with fellow defenseman, Ian Laperriere, Montreal Canadiens forward, Mathieu Darche, expressed that Bretts would be a valuable addition for the team.
“I talked with Ian Laperrière yesterday and he mentioned Betts was on waivers, and he said he would be a good pickup for the Canadiens”, Mathieu Darche told The Montreal Gazette.
Betts, a 31-year-old, former 33rd overall pick during round-two of the 1998 NHL Entry Draft by Calgary Flames, held the record of best penalty killer during the 2008-2009 season with New York Rangers, giving Montreal hope of more strength on their
defensive end.
At the moment, the veteran forward will be entering the last season on his two-year contract worth $1.4 million, signed with Philadelphia Flyers the previous year. It will require Montreal to spend an additional $700,000 to keep the player through the upcoming
season, which will make him an unrestricted free agent after that.
The Edmonton, Alberta, Canada native, put up career high numbers during his two season stay with Philadelphia, a team which shocked the fans after putting him on waivers earlier this month.
Since he provided Philadelphia with unprecedented power play killing abilities, certainly had fans thinking about how Flyers have been making their decisions lately and what they have in-store for the upcoming season.
Bretts played three straight seasons with Calgary Flames and their affiliates in the American Hockey League (AHL), Saint John Flames until getting a more permanent spot on New York Rangers for the next four years.
In total, Blair Betts has played 477 games in the North American major league and boasts a record of 78 points (41 goals, 37 assists).
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