The Montreal Canadiens under general manager (GM) Kent Hughes have a desire to take another step forward in the rebuilding process. While the focus from fans is on the draft picks, and what prospects are doing, the management team’s focus is on the NHL roster and how it can improve into a competitive team that could be within striking distance of a playoff berth.
Part of that focus will be placed on Joel Armia and what he has to offer the team. From being waived and sent down to the American Hockey League (AHL) to having a career-best season in goals (17), he had an eventful 2023-24 campaign. This makes Hughes’ decisions on the future of Armia with the Canadiens a difficult one, and one that he may need to gamble on if he is to get the most out of him.
Canadiens Search for Right Formula
Armia was acquired from the Winnipeg Jets, essentially, as a cap dump, and he has provided solid bottom six play, at times on the score sheet, other times, simply by playing his brand of puck possession game. However, over his tenure, the times he plays up to expectations have been inconsistent. The 2023-24 preseason was one of those “down” times, and he was demoted before the season began.
Armia handled this assignment to the Laval Rocket as a true professional, recording six goals and nine points in eight games. Then, an unfortunate season-ending injury to Kirby Dach left Hughes needing to call up a forward. Because of the class and effort Armia put in, he earned his call-up. Being placed on waivers and assigned to Laval may have been what he needed to refocus. He really started to take a step forward after the new year, when his ice time started to increase from fourth line to top-six minutes. He ended the season sitting fourth in goals on the team.
Related: Canadiens Need to Make Room on NHL Roster for Prospects
The final season of his $3.4 million contract is no longer considered “untradeable”. It needs to be said, this is a player who has never scored 20 goals in a single season and has shown he is best suited for a bottom-six role. All that is to say that, his value isn’t very high, but there is no doubt teams would have interest in adding him for a year as they prepare to push for a deep playoff run. Granted, Hughes would likely need to take back salary, or move him for very little in return.
Canadiens Expectations
This season, Armia is coming…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at The Hockey Writers…