Good trade, Roughriders!
Scavenging the remains of the Montreal Alouettes, the Saskatchewan Roughriders have acquired two Canadian players who can help them through the late stages of the CFL season and into the playoffs.
Offensive lineman Philip Blake and fullback Patrick Lavoie may not be well-known players, but it’s an accepted credo that the team with the best Canadian players will usually win the Grey Cup. All the Roughriders surrendered was a second-round draft choice in 2020 and a little-used Canadian receiver. Lavoie will mainly provide depth while Blake could fortify an offensive line that has developed into one of the best at protecting its quarterback, but may have lost centre Dan Clark to injury. Blake has NFL experience, he’s been a long-time starter in Montreal and he can play guard or tackle.
The Alouettes are going nowhere, so they’re dumping players and these two aren’t simply rejects, they may be parts of a Grey Cup-contending puzzle.