Montreal Canadiens: The Odds of the Laval Rocket Making the Playoffs

The hope is that the new Montreal Canadiens affiliate, the Laval Rocket, can reach the playoffs in their debut season, but can they do it?

The Hamilton Bulldogs, the St. Johns Ice Caps, and now the Laval Rocket. The Montreal Canadiens‘ affiliate has gone through a handful of changes over the last three years.

In the past, there hasn’t been much to be excited about it. Sure the team has had some outstanding talent, but it’s been a struggle to see any playoff team. Last season was the first time in five years that a Habs affiliate would make the post-season.

It would be nice to say that the Ice Caps were a favourite to make it that far. They had a pretty sloppy going 1-3-1 in their first five games. The remainder of the season was a rollercoaster of winning and losing streaks. Luckily, the Ice Caps were able to put enough points together to make the end of the year interesting for the fans.

St. Johns didn’t clinch a playoff spot until the very last game of the season after beating the Toronto Marlies. They still would’ve clinched if they lost after the Syracuse Crunch defeated the Utica Comets. St. Johns finished their regular season going 36-30-10 for 82 points. That had them 8th in the Eastern Conference and 4th in the North Division.

Both professional levels of the Montreal Canadiens organization were in the playoffs. Although it lasted only four games, the Ice Caps making the playoffs was a step in the right direction. Now the sights are set on the Laval Rocket. Can they claim a playoff spot in their debut season?

The @CanadiensMTL have unveiled the jersey and logo for their new AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket. https://t.co/cw4CoWBKe9 pic.twitter.com/PoKNRiB77N
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 31, 2017

Chances of Making the Playoffs

Laval will still be in the same division with the same teams this season. Similarly to last year, they’ll be competing with Syracuse, Toronto, and the newly named Binghamton Devils. The Rocket will have to have a better regular season this year. They can’t afford to leave the chances of making the playoffs to the last game or even worse, in the hands of another team.

Roster Changes

Now we have to look at the guys who will be getting it done on the ice. Chris Terry led the team in scoring with 30 goals and 38 assists. The 28-year-old also played 14 games with the Montreal Canadiens but only put up two goals and two assists. Odds are that he starts the season on Laval with the limited wing space on the Canadiens.

There are a few names that may make the main club out of camp and not be on the team. Two names are Charles Hudon and Michael McCarron. Hudon was second on St. Johns in points with 49, and is obviously too good for the AHL. Additionally, he’s on his second contract with the Canadiens, and if management wants him to play on Laval, he’d need to clear waivers. We all know that wouldn’t happen.

Other names such as Jacob de La Rose and Daniel Carr are in the same position but have a better chance to clear than Hudon. It would take a strong camp for McCarron to make the team, and he would be beating Torrey Mitchell out of a spot. For now, let’s assume that head coach Claude Julien would prefer to have the responsible penalty killer on.

Laval will have a lot of solid additions including prospect Noah Juulsen who will make his professional debut. Another addition is Martin Reway who has been the feel-good story in the Canadiens organization.

Other new teammates include:

Additionally, the Rocket’s goaltending looks to be in good hands with Charlie Lindgren and Zachary Fucale. With the returnees taking a step, in particular Nikita Scherbak, Laval should have no problem getting points.

Point Projections

Laval will be very capable in finishing top three in the North Division this season. They lost a lot of points to overtime and shootout loses, but hopefully they’ll have the increased offence to put some games away.

A record of around 41-29-6 would make the most sense. It’s an improvement having them at 88 points. If we base that on last season, that would put them in the playoffs.

Again with the new players that will be joining the team in combination with the growth of others, there’s no reason why Laval shouldn’t make the playoffs. Even if one of their players are called up, they now have the depth among all four lines and defence pairings to get the job done.

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Are you excited for the Laval Rocket? Will they make the playoffs? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

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