The Montreal Canadiens are recalling Joshua Roy from the AHL’s Laval Rocket due to Rafael Harvey-Pinard’s injury, with Roy expected to immediately fill the vacancy in the lineup amidst other team injuries and absences.
Joshua Roy is getting another shot. The Montreal Canadiens are pulling him up from the AHL’s Laval Rocket. Why now? Well, Rafael Harvey-Pinard’s got himself in a bit of a pickle. He twisted his leg in a not-so-pretty way during Saturday’s game, all thanks to a collision with Joel Armia.
Harvey-Pinard hasn’t had the best luck this season. A lower-body injury had him benched for seven weeks, limiting his playtime to just 23 games. Tough break.
For Roy, this is round two. His first call-up was back on January 12th. He hung around with the NHL crew for 12 days, got to play in six games. Even scored a goal and an assist. Not too shabby, right? But then, back to Laval he went. Down there, he’s been on fire, racking up 32 points in 40 games. Only Brandon Gignac’s got more points than him in Laval. And guess what? Gignac’s also been called up.
Now, Harvey-Pinard’s mishap’s just the tip of the iceberg. Montreal’s got a bit of an injury curse going on. Christian Dvorak, Kirby Dach, and Brendan Gallagher are all MIA. Gallagher’s also serving a suspension, his first ever. So, with no extra forwards on hand, Roy’s not just warming the bench. He’s straight into the fray.
Montreal saw something in Roy, snagging him in the fifth round of the 2021 NHL Draft. He’s proving them right, being one of the only two guys picked after the third round to debut in the NHL so soon. The other’s Emil Martinsen Lilleberg, over with the Tampa Bay Lightning. He’s played 12 games and notched two points. Arizona missed their chance with him, and Tampa swooped in last summer.
So, here we are. Roy’s back in the game, and Montreal’s hoping he’s the spark they need. Let’s see what the kid’s got.
