#habs emelin gets a puck to the face
The puck was believed to hit him in the jaw making the punishing defenseman a doubtful player for tomorrow's tilt.
Alexei Emelin News
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#Habs Emelin returns to lineup vs. Philly. Appears that he'll partner with Kaberle again.
The big rookie has no fantasy hockey value with only one assist on the season.
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Emelin in.
Look for the mega-hyped prospect to draw in tonight. Emelin is still looking for his first point in his NHL career.
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Alexei Emelin (out)
Emelin draws out of the lineup. The Russian expatriate has no points through his first eight games in North America.
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Alexei Emelin in
A big time prospect in the Habs' system, Emelin has struggled to adapt to the North American game. Through six games he has no points.
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Emelin is a healthy scratch for tonight's game. #Habs
With Jaroslav Spacek returning to the lineup, Emelin draws out. The Togliatti native had zero points and a minus-2 rating over his initial six NHL games.
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The way things have shaped up in training camp, Yemelin is the No. 7 defenceman on the depth chart. That means there's a spot on the roster for him, but it means he won't play a lot unless someone ahead of him is injured, screws up or gets tired. And if none of those things happen, he'll slip another notch when Andrei Markov completes his rehabilitation from knee surgery.
Predicted by some to play on the top pairing, Yemelin slips to a depth role. Last season he scored 11 goals and 26 points through 52 games in the KHL so the offense is certainly there. At this point wait until he has a full spot before rostering the Russian blue-liner.
Emelin had better be good. Very good. Because the departure of underappreciated Roman Hamrlik creates a breach in the wall that protects The Franchise.
Most hype out of Montreal states Emeilin starts the season on the NHL roster, making a physical impact on the back end. He will have big shoes to fill in replacing Roman Hamrlik but most reports seem high on the physical defenseman. Nevertheless, he will need to transition to the North American rink, so expect some growing pains.
The Canadiens have signed Russian defenceman Alexei Emelin.