They say one man’s loss is another’s gain. Unfortunately, in the case of Montreal Canadiens forward Rafael Harvey-Pinard, it’s more so a case of one man’s injury being another another’s opportunity. That’s true in the best of times in a player’s career. However, now out four months with a broken leg, Harvey-Pinard will miss training camp and the start of a pivotal season in the 25-year-old’s career.
After a successful 14-goal 2022-23 rookie season, Harvey-Pinard earned a two-year, one-way deal. He started 2023-24 in a bottom-six role, but, upon getting another chance on the top line with Nick Suzuki, he failed to capitalize. A few injuries later, he found himself effectively stuck at the bottom of the lineup with just two goals (10 points) in 45 games.
So, now injured again, Harvey-Pinard finds himself in a horrible position where he needs to get healthy and then re-establish himself as just a top-12 forward in the organization. This time though, there are new players and prospects with more experience under their belts knocking at the door.
If Harvey-Pinard was already on his way down the organizational depth chart, the following are arguably on their way up. With his spot in the lineup now at least temporarily open, just like injuries played a part in him getting a break a few seasons ago, it conceivably marks the first stop in their NHL journeys (at his expense).
Here are the five likeliest to get a shot with the Canadiens out of training camp as a result:
5) Joshua Roy
Forward Joshua Roy is here as a formality, in the sense that, if he wasn’t going to make the roster before, he almost certainly will now. However, based on his seamless transition into a top-nine, arguably top-six role last season, failing to keep him up from the American Hockey League, would fly in the face of what general manager Kent Hughes has effectively established as a meritocracy up to now.
Barring an underwhelming training camp for Roy, you must believe he’s making the Canadiens. Harvey-Pinard’s spot isn’t necessarily his to lose, because he was probably going to make it anyway. However, it is extra insurance in the event Hughes fails to trade one of his excess veteran forwards (a la Christian Dvorak) this offseason (a hypothetical move that, with Jesse Ylonen’s departure, in and of itself would be insurance to that effect).
4) Owen Beck
A potential member of the Canadiens’…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at The Hockey Writers…