The seven weeks Samuel Blais spent in Toronto weren’t all that bad. He got back to the NHL with the Maple Leafs and he lived in a furnished condo arranged by the organization. Article content

Fortunately for the 29-year-old forward, he was only renting. Experience taught him not to buy. Article content Article content

“It’s part of the business,” Blais said this week. “It has always been that way. We don’t make the decisions. Our job is to produce on the ice. Whether you play in the AHL or the NHL, you have to bring your best. That’s what I’m trying to do.”

Although he spent all of last season in the AHL with Abbotsford — and won a Calder Cup — the Canadiens signed the 6-foot-2, 203-pound veteran to a one-year, US$775,000 free-agent contract on July 1. Selected in the sixth round (1

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