Montreal Canadiens: Laval Rocket Top MVP Candidates

Joshua Roy

Joshua Roy has shown immense growth since being selected in the fifth round of the 2021 NHL Draft. He was viewed as a one-dimensional player whose skating needed improvement, and his compete level left a lot to be desired. Thankfully for Roy and the Canadiens’ management, there was a large improvement in his game, and each year, he has shown tremendous growth. He narrowly missed out on back-to-back 100-point seasons (119 and 99) and was a dominant presence on both the power play and penalty kill in the QMJHL and with Team Canada at the World Junior Championships.

Defensively, he has shown an innate ability to strip pucks from opposing players and quickly push the play towards the offensive zone. His vision and hockey IQ are two essential traits that fuel Roy’s game. He executes incredible passes that few other players could replicate, and his patience in the offensive zone allows him to generate a ton of high-danger scoring chances. His shot is a huge threat regardless of whether he uses it or not. Roy’s smart positioning allows him to gain prime scoring chances regularly, and he can freeze defenders who guess wrong on his intentions before making a pass or ripping a shot on the net.

An underrated skill that separates great players from good players is their ability to corral hard passes, and he does so with a certain poise. His ability to be consistently effective was on display during the showcase, and he certainly got off to a great start, which should bode well for the 2024 season and beyond. I think that Roy will threaten to make the Canadiens out of camp, but the logjam will keep him in Laval, which will give the Rocket their potential MVP.

Cayden Primeau

Drafted in the seventh round of the 2017 Draft, yes, the same one as Nick Suzuki, Cayden Primeau saw great success in the NCAA with Northeastern University. The now 24-year-old played 70 college games, boasting a 44-18-6 career record, along with eight shutouts, a 2.00 goals against average and a .932 save percentage. He racked up a trophy case full of NCAA awards, including (New England) Rookie of the Year and (Hockey East) Goaltender of the Year, in his rookie season in 2017-2018.

In his sophomore year, Primeau backstopped the Huskies to a Hockey East Championship and was awarded (Hockey East) Tournament MVP Honours. He was recognized as goaltender of the year and the top collegiate goaltender award. Primeau brought his game to another level and left little doubt that he was prepared to take the next leap in his career and turn pro to join the Rocket.

The ’24 season will be a big year for Primeau as he will look to establish himself as the starter for Laval, with Jakub Dobes pushing to get some quality time in the crease. Primeau’s professional career has spanned four seasons, and he has been a consistent presence between the pipes, compiling a 63-42-15 record to go along with 11 shutouts. Unfortunately, his goals against average have steadily increased each season, but Primeau should prove worthy and help guide the young Rocket in the right direction as the backbone and a good bet as team MVP.

Logan Mailloux

Logan Mailloux seems to walk or skate around with a large question mark hovering above his head due to the lack of hockey he played, just 75 OHL games through three seasons. But he has grown physically, and his offensive game has elite-level qualities that look to be translatable to the NHL level. While he did miss significant time, he benefitted from having perhaps the best coaching in junior hockey from Dale Hunter, who used Mailloux as his go-to defenseman.

Mailloux answered the bell and was a steady presence on the penalty kill, putting an emphasis on improving his positioning and making a constant effort to support his defensive partner with smart puck play. He was also the most utilized blueliner on the power play, and he took advantage of the opportunity, using his fantastic mobility to get himself open to create plays or get into the soft areas to use his wicked shot. His skating and physical strength stand out every time he plays, and while he struggled in his first rookie showcase outing by trying to do too much, he bounced back in his next game, showing his maturity.

He has top-pairing defenseman written all over him, and he has the potential to quarterback an NHL powerplay in the future. His defensive play may never be among the best, but his ability to activate and create offence should help him become a massive piece on the Canadiens blue line for the next 10-15 years. A steady presence in all three zones who will stand up for his teammates and make the opposition look silly every chance that he gets, Mailloux could emerge as the Rocket MVP and possibly one of the AHL’s top defenders.

The Rocket will have a young and fast team in 2024, and the odds of rookies playing huge roles early on are pretty good. Solid drafting and development can be thanked for that, and it will only be a matter of time before these young, talented prospects turn into everyday NHL players. Mailloux and Roy are just a few names, but there is a strong crop of young guys, including Sean Farrell, William Trudeau and Jayden Struble, to name a few.

The future is bright, and the eventual team MVP for the Rocket could find himself in the Canadiens lineup sooner rather than later.

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