The Montreal Canadiens recalled Nikita Scherbak from his two-week conditioning stint with the Laval Rocket, but it’s still unknown as to when he will play.
The conditioning stint is over. Nikita Scherbak played a total of five games down in the AHL with the Laval Rocket after the Montreal Canadiens send him there two weeks ago.
Scherbak’s time in Laval could be best described with the ever-popular rollercoaster analogy. It started out strong despite not getting the production and had other games where he wasn’t committed to the cause. Head coach Joel Bouchard took the mics to share the downside of the 2014 first-round pick’s consistency issues.
He also didn’t play in the final two games of the stint because of a lower-body injury. However, Scherbak managed to find the back of the net for the first time against Cleaveland. It was a nice backhand through the middle to put Laval up 3-0 in the opening frame. The team ended up winning the game 5-1, and that was the last time Scherbak would see action in the minors.
Although the 24-year-old is up with the team, he will remain in Montreal to receive treatment for his ailment. Now it’s a waiting game, and hopefully, the injury isn’t anything serious.
There is a window of opportunity for the Montreal Canadiens to finally start using Scherbak in the lineup once he’s healthy. Kenny Agostino has proven to be serviceable, but it would be interesting to see what kind of impact Scherbak could have playing with Jesperi Kotkaniemi. If not there, then perhaps he takes turns with Charles Hudon on the fourth line.
The fact of the matter is, the Habs need to get him ice time. Scherbak is in the final year of his entry-level contract, and there hasn’t been much available to fully evaluate what he is or what he can be for the team. That will come with reps on the Habs.
Management will likely provide an update on his progress soon, and once that is out, we can revisit the discussion.
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