Canadiens Take Risk Playing Roy with Anderson in Training Camp – The Hockey Writers – Canadiens Prospects

You can understand what the Montreal Canadiens are going for in the early incarnations of their lines in training camp. It was always a stretch, thinking they would play rookie Joshua Roy in the top six, especially without a Christian Dvorak trade having materialized.

So, playing Alex Newhook in Roy’s would-be spot, opposite Patrik Laine on centre Kirby Dach’s second line is logical. So is dropping Roy down a line to the third, beside de facto No. 3 centre Dvorak. However, putting Josh Anderson on that line should be considered a little too much wishful thinking on their part (unless the goal there is simply to unite the “Joshes,” out of convenience and a little fun, but why would it be, if Dvorak ruins it)?

It really just amounts to a bad joke though, as if they’re just joshing everyone. Get it?

Can Anderson Rebound?

Obviously, the hope is Anderson rebounds following a disappointing season in which he scored just nine goals and 20 points, when he’s generally been good for 20 goals per in a Canadiens uniform. And, with the acquisition of Patrik Laine, who justifiably has automatically received consideration for a top-six spot based on his pedigree as a former 40-goal scorer, the only other realistic spot for Anderson in on the fourth line. That obviously won’t help him get or keep him on track. However, playing him with Roy may have the same adverse impact on the latter’s play, which Anderson had on pretty much everyone in 2023-24.

It seems like a clear attempt to maximize what you get out of Anderson, as someone with an untradeable contract and a $5.5 million cap hit until 2027. That’s an understandable desired solution to the issue at hand, which is why it would have made sense to play Anderson with Dach before Laine got acquired, so as to put him in the best position to succeed. However, by playing Roy with him instead, you’re arguably putting him in the worst, which is less than ideal when you’re talking about a top prospect, with top-six potential.

Related: 5 Worst Canadiens Contracts for 2024-25 Season

Realistically, at 30 years old, Anderson isn’t suddenly going to transform into even a 0.5 point-per-game player with the Canadiens. Roy just turned 21 and, while nothing is guaranteed, it’s safe to assume he has a significantly longer-term future with the franchise… unless the Habs…