Laval Rocket: What is the next move for the team?

They were both strong efforts, but the Laval Rocket will be walking away from this weekend with one out of a possible four points.

The Laval Rocket had all areas of the team clicking when they defeated the Binghamton Devils 4-1 on Wednesday. However, their play was going to be put to the test again with games against the Utica Comets and Syracuse Crunch.

Jordan Boucher opened the scoring for Laval in Utica while Charlie Lindgren stood tall to combat the chances. A 26 save performance from the goaltender was ended in overtime thanks to a Michael Chaput breakaway. The Rocket had to settle for the single point in the end, but their strong sense of discipline and pressure especially in the latter half of the game are little victories that go a long way.

The same thing happened in the next game as Laval found themselves down 2-0 to the Crunch on Saturday. They took the ice over starting with David Broll in the second followed by Adam Cracknell scoring his 19th in the third. It was a dominating effort but frustrating that the team wasn’t rewarded for it.

The Rocket sits outside of the final North Division playoff spot with 44 points. Syracuse is 15 points ahead of them with 59 and the optimism on what this inaugural season could’ve been is continuing to turn to the dark side.

Similarly to what’s going on in the NHL with the Montreal Canadiens, the Laval Rocket are going to have to ride out the rest of the season. With 26 games left in combination with the other teams ahead of them, it would either take a mighty fall or a historical surge from Laval to knock any of them down.

What’s Next?

Individually, there are seven players set to become RFAs while Cracknell or Chris Terry have the chance at testing free agency. Management will have to make decisions when it comes to Lindgren, Jèrèmy Grègoire, Zachary Fucale, Michael McCarron, Markus Eisenschmid, and Tom Parisi.

Save for Eisenschmid and Parisi, who were free agents out of the WHL and college respectively; the rest are Habs draft picks. Lindgren and McCarron may be the only ones guaranteed to get a new contract over the summer. However, Grègoire has been an interesting prospect for the Habs. His defensive play and aggressive edge is a valuable asset, but health has kept him out of lineups long before joining the Montreal Canadiens organization.

If the playoffs are out of the question, then some of those players could be fighting to prove they’re worth keeping around. Opportunities are going to keep opening up on the Habs’ roster, and there could be a chance to get a full-time gig there for some of them.

Additionally, this season will continue to be further growth for the likes of Daniel Audette, but especially Noah Juulsen. His debut in the AHL was delayed thanks to an injury sustained in the preseason, but he’s been a gem on the blueline since.

Juulsen is still privy to making the odd mistake here or there, and you’d expect that from a 20-year-old defenceman. But each game he plays is another layer of ink on a future top-four role with the Habs in the future. Some fans are hoping he gets a quick call at some point and that could be a possibility. However, there are others who they may see including Brett Lernout who is another defenceman the organization hopes pans out.

If you’re on board with the future being the focus, then there will be things to look for as far as the Laval Rocket despite their place in the standings. Some those points listed above are just a few examples.

Next: Trade Interest From Pittsburgh and San Jose

Who are you excited to see from the Laval Rocket? Who gets a contract over the summer? Let us know what you think down below.