Montreal Canadiens place Mitchell Stephens on waivers

Stephens, 26, is likely being moved down the lineup to make room on the roster for the call-up of defenseman Arber Xhekaj, who had been down in the minors to get back into game shape after suffering an injury. However, the Habs had a few too many bodies on their roster to call up Xhekaj, resulting in him playing in 17 games before finally returning to the NHL roster.

Stephens has produced at a minimal amount this season for the Habs, with just 2 goals and 1 assist for 3 points in 23 games. He also has 3 goals and 9 assists for 12 points in 16 games when he’s been with the Laval Rocket in the AHL.

Stephens was a former second-round pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2015 NHL Draft, and spent parts of six seasons with the Lightning organization before he was traded to the Detroit Red Wings in the 2021 offseason. He spent one season with Detroit before the team opted to not give him a qualifying offer, and the Canadiens then signed him in the 2022 offseason.

Stephens is currently on a one-year, $775,000 contract, and will be an unrestricted free agent in the 2024 offseason.

The Canadiens also announced that defenseman Justin Barron will be loaned to the AHL. He had six goals and six assists for 12 points in 41 games with the Habs this season.

The Habs will look to bounce back from back-to-back blowout losses when they host the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday at 7 p.m. EST. They currently sit in sixth in the Atlantic Division with a 19-20-7 record, and are eight points behind the Tampa Bay Lightning for the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.