The Montreal Canadiens head into the new season with a full roster, but they do have one or two openings for a prospect. For some prospects, however, it could almost be the end of the road in Montreal. The Habs have built a young, good team with NHL-ready players, which leaves little room for a young prospect who may be taking too long to develop. With the way the team’s rebuild has been going, several players could be left on the outside looking in when just a couple of years ago, they were very hopeful prospects.
Roy Needs Big Year in Laval
One of the more experienced prospects is Joshua Roy. He was drafted in the fifth round of the 2021 Draft, 150th overall. He was a standout in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), where he recorded 99 points in 55 games, his final year with the Sherbrooke Phoenix, and 119 points the season before. He was also a top player for Team Canada at the World Junior Championship (WJC), recording 19 points in 14 games, helping to lead Canada to back-to-back gold medals in 2022 and 2023. Roy was considered a steal for the Canadiens and started the 2022-23 season with the Laval Rocket of the American Hockey League (AHL). He had a great start in Laval and was one of the leading scorers of the AHL when he was called up to the Canadiens due to injuries.
In 41 games with the Rocket, he scored 13 goals and 32 points, and in 23 games with Montreal, he scored four goals and added nine points, despite limited ice time. Roy’s biggest struggle in the NHL was the game’s speed. His skating and size were big reasons the Habs could draft him in the fifth round, and it was clear he had trouble keeping up in the big league. Last season, he played 47 games, scoring 20 goals and 35 points with Laval, and appeared in only 12 NHL games, scoring two goals. This season, Roy was again sent to Laval during the preseason, and prospects like Florian Xhekaj, Owen Beck and Olivier Kapanen have passed him on the depth chart. Roy will need a massive season in Laval if he wants to have a shot at an everyday NHL job.
Mesar Needs to Prove He’s a Valuable First-Round Pick
In 2022, the Canadiens drafted Juraj Slafkovsky first overall, but that wasn’t their only first-round pick in that draft. The Habs drafted Filip Mesar, also from Slovakia, 26th overall, which came as a surprise to many people. Mesar is fast and has moves, and is probably one of the best transition forwards in the Canadiens’ prospect pool. His issue, however, started in junior with the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). In his first season, he was barely a point-per-game player, which is not a good look for a D+1 player. His second season in the OHL, in 2023-24, was better, with 52 points in 45 games. However, for a player who thought he would be in the AHL, it is not the numbers that turn heads.
Related: Reinbacher’s Injury Raises Real Concerns for the Canadiens
Mesar did make the Rocket in 2024-25 but was hampered by injuries and poor play. In 42 games, he only registered 18 points and just four goals. Many fans worried that the management team made its first big mistake by drafting him in the first round. With mediocre numbers in the OHL and now poor numbers in the AHL, Mesar looks like he could be a first-round bust. He needs a massive season in Laval to redeem himself, gain some reprieve, and prove he is a capable NHL player. He did have a good preseason with the Habs, scoring a goal and two assists in two games, but was sent to the Rockets’ training camp along with Roy. If he doesn’t have a breakout season, then it might be time for the Habs to move him elsewhere before his value drops to nothing.
Reinbacher Needs an Injury-Free Season
The Canadiens’ fifth overall pick in the 2023 Draft was very controversial. With players like Ryan Leonard and Matvei Mitchkov still on the board in a forward-heavy draft, Montreal general manager (GM) Kent Hughes went with a defender named David Reinbacher. Many fans were upset, and the media a bit shocked, but the GM had a plan. Hughes was more interested in another Russian for the draft in 2024, named Ivan Demidov. So in 2023, Reinbacher was picked, and he has the potential to be a top-four defenceman and could be the perfect complement for star Lane Hutson.
The issue Reinbacher is having with meeting his potential is that injuries, especially to his knees, have hampered him. All the skills are there for him to be a solid stand-up defenceman with an above-average two-way game. In the past two seasons in Laval, he has only played 21 games, but has scored four goals and 10 points. He has had two major knee operations, and in this preseason, he ended up breaking a bone in his hand while blocking a shot and will be out for four weeks. Although the Habs have great defensive depth, the injury once again hampers Reinbacher’s development and puts the pick selection in question.
The Canadiens have a few prospects who are reaching the limit of their NHL chances, but these three are the biggest hopefuls actually to make the NHL and should have been able to make the team by now, or at least be used in a trade to another NHL team.
