With only 22 of 23 roster spots taken up, the Montreal Canadiens are in a decent position to smoothly sustain the potentially imminent return of star Patrik Laine. Having suffered a knee injury in training camp, Laine resuming skating would align with the initially projected rehabilitation timetable of 2-3 months. So far so good.
Then came news the Canadiens loaned Rafael Harvey-Pinard to the Laval Rocket in the American Hockey League, throwing a little wrench into those hypothetical plans. To be fair, it’s not like Harvey-Pinard’s conditioning stint has come out of left field. He too recently resumed skating after suffering an offseason injury.
However, there isn’t room for both… at least not with how the roster is currently constructed. The Canadiens will have to move someone, somehow, whether it be via demotion, trade, etc. Here are the five likeliest Canadiens candidates to be on the move:
5. Joel Armia
The logic here is the Canadiens have demoted Joel Armia before (at the start of last season). So, it isn’t like general manager Kent Hughes has deluded himself into believing the winger is a part of the team’s future. As a pending unrestricted free agent, Armia is still on the block, and, while they would like to get something of value in exchange for him, they’ve probably long since come to terms with the fact his value isn’t all that high.
Pierre McGuire: "They've been trying to trade Joel Armia for a long time I can tell you right now. I was working for a team where they offered Joel Armia to us and that was 3 years ago" 👀
— The Sick Podcast with Tony Marinaro (@thesickpodcasts) November 15, 2024
Full pod👇
Watch: https://t.co/tIx0TWQPek#GoHabsGo #thesickpodcast @TonyMarinaro pic.twitter.com/pc2pH45j91
All that said, while Armia is far from picking up where he left off last season, when he scored a career-high 17 goals, he is on a similar points pace, albeit with just two goals (eight points) on the season. It’s no stretch to suggest the Canadiens could at least get something for him at the trade deadline, seeing as any hypothetical trade partner wouldn’t have to worry about his $3.4 million cap hit past this season.
4. Michael Pezzetta
Michael Pezzetta perfectly fills a niche role as a 13th forward. So, even though he’s replaceable in theory, it would be odd for the Canadiens to demote him when that role he fills calls for him to literally only play three games out of 19 so far this season.
If you do (try to) send Pezzetta down, you’d only be sentencing someone else to sit in the press box game after game, probably someone with a higher ceiling who could benefit more from ice time, even if only in the AHL.
3. Emil Heineman
That “someone” could be Emil Heineman, a prospect who may have surprised some by making the Canadiens out of training camp. However, based on a variety of factors, including him having been in the mix as one of the final cuts last season and his performance to date this one (three goals, five points), he’s maybe moved past the point of being a mere fill-in.
Related: Likeliest Canadiens to Replace Injured Harvey-Pinard
Heineman may not need waivers, but neither does someone like Lane Huston. It may not be the greatest comparison based on their individual ceilings, Hutson’s being much higher. However, if Heineman, whose skill set fits the bottom-six role he plays, does his job and meets expectations, he theoretically shouldn’t be demoted, at least not to make room for someone who hasn’t.
2. Rafael Harvey-Pinard
This wouldn’t exactly be like the Arber Xhekaj situation from last season all over again, but there are similarities. Remember, after making the 2023-24 squad out of training camp, Xhekaj got injured soon thereafter. The Canadiens eventually sent him down to the AHL on a conditioning stint and kind of just kept him there to continue working on his game.
Jayden Struble, who had effectively been called up to replace Xhekaj, ended up convincing the Canadiens he belonged in the NHL through his strong play instead. It’s easy to envision someone like Heineman accomplishing much the same feat at Harvey-Pinard’s expense, considering the latter failed to even come close to replicating the success of his 14-goal rookie season of 2022-23 last year.
The difference is Xhekaj didn’t need waivers. Harvey-Pinard would. However, it’s also not like a) the Canadiens have a specific roster spot with his name on it like they do for Laine or b) Harvey-Pinard factors significantly into the team’s long-term plans to the point it would hurt if another team claimed him.
Ultimately, it wouldn’t be out of the question for the Canadiens to simply (try to) keep Harvey-Pinard in the AHL, even though he arguably has a lot more to offer, in the right role.
1. Lucas Condotta
It’s easy to look at Lucas Condotta’s spirited play since he got called up to replace prospect Oliver Kapanen as a sign he has more to offer. However, Condotta was also named captain of the Rocket for a reason. Yes, it’s in part because he leads by example. However, there’s also an unmistakable trend on this historical list of the team’s captains.
Despite the effort Condotta has admirably displayed up to now, scoring a goal with limited ice time as a fourth-liner, it must be acknowledged it was only his second-ever marker and it came at Age 27. Last year, it was a similar story with Brandon Gignac, who filled a dire need due to a lack of bodies. However, Gignac has since unfortunately restarted on his previous career path in the AHL. If it comes down to Condotta or a player who scored two goals in a similar capacity last season in what had been considered a down year, the choice is clear, especially taking the just-26-year-old Harvey-Pinard’s track record into account.
Harvey-Pinard may be a winger, with the Canadiens having chosen to play Condotta at centre. However, Laine’s return also theoretically forces them to move someone like Kirby Dach or Alex Newhook back to the middle, thereby dropping Jake Evans and Christian Dvorak down a rung. That should force Condotta out of the lineup as a centre anyway. In such an instance, Harvey-Pinard returning to the Canadiens alongside Laine, just (much) further down the lineup, makes sense.
