Montreal Canadiens: Filip Mesar officially loaned to Laval Rocket

The Montreal Canadiens announced a string of roster moves, including seven players headed to various places. Whether it’s waivers, the minors, or minor league training camp. For the Habs, one of the storylines coming into training camp was going to be the whereabouts of Filip Mesar by the start of the season.

The Montreal Canadiens are entering a rebuild where they are starting to figure out which players will earn their chances in the NHL. Coming into training camp, the expectation was that Mesar would be heading to the OHL for the upcoming season.

When it comes to Mesar, he seemed to earn a more extensive look with his showing at the Prospects Challenge. On top of that, he came into training camp and has earned his looks from the Canadiens. But with the update linked above, the Habs have put Mesar’s dreams of making the opening roster to bed.

Mesar has been loaned to Laval Rocket ahead of the 2022-23 season. This was another possibility for Mesar after it was initially rumored he would get sent to the OHL early on in the 2022 Prospects Challenge.

Montreal Canadiens loan Filip Mesar to Laval Rocket.

It’s not the biggest slight or shot at Mesar for being loaned. He’s shown a lot of desirable actions. At times he’s shown off his prowess and poise with the puck. He’s been able to show glimpses that he will be a fun player to watch in the coming season.

While he is being optioned to Laval, he could easily find himself back with the Habs at some point during the 2022-23 season. Mesar has the makings to be part of the Canadiens’ future core of forwards; the question is when that time will come.

The initial rumblings were that the Habs would send Mesar to the OHL; the latter assumption was that Mesar would be heading Laval, which has come to fruition. Mesar heading to Laval is truthfully not the worst thing in the world.

As has been discussed, the Canadiens are aiming for the pipeline between Montreal and Laval to be strong and filled with prospects in the upcoming season. For the Canadiens, the hope is that being sent to Laval is less of a demotion for young talent and instead is deemed as a chance to keep developing and work on things before a return to Montreal.

In terms of Mesar, getting the chance to start in Laval is a chance to further acclimate to what the NHL will bring for him. On top of that, he will be able to continue his development with hopes of joining the Canadiens further down the line.