We at EOTP opined in the 2014-15 season that this was Nathan Beaulieu's time to emerge as one of the team's go-to defencemen. Unfortunately, a year later this has yet to come to pass as the Canadiens' first-round pick from the 2011 draft seems destined to have to fight for every minute of ice time.
While he is now armed with a two-year, one-way deal at a bargain price of $1M per season - ensuring at the very least he will never be assigned to Hamilton - he does find himself relegated to the role of a third-pairing defender at present.