Montreal Canadiens: Joshua Roy, Logan Mailloux Will Benefit From Sticking With Laval Rocket

The injury bug has sunken its teeth into the Montreal Canadiens for the second year in a row.

Because of it, the Laval Rocket have had to send up players to fill vacant roles in the NHL. On the blueline, Gustav Lindstrom has been a regular in the lineup, and Jayden Struble played his first NHL game. Injuries to David Savard, Arber Xhekaj and Jordan Harris sparked those call-ups.

Likewise, on offence, the Canadiens have dipped into the Rocket pool of players. Kirby Dach was the first piece to fall, and Rafael Harvey Pinard recently found himself on the shelf with an injury. These injuries have shaken the team to its core, and the on-ice play has directly indicated that.

Jesse Ylonen has seen some time in the top six and has made the most of it. Equally Alex Newhook has earned a promotion, finding himself alongside Nick Suzuki and the missing bodies have caused a ripple effect on Martin St Louis’s line combinations. With each injury, the same question arises, when will the rookies in Laval get the nod?

Laval Now, Montreal Later

It’s completely normal that the fanbase has been insistent upon bringing up younger players to get a glimpse of how they integrate with the Canadiens brigade. While I do agree that seeing players like Joshua Roy, Logan Mailloux and the Rocket youth would be very fun. I also support the idea, even more so, to keep them cooking in Laval, and let them have a full year to adjust.

I don’t believe that they will be stunted by playing in the NHL, and the weight of the rebuild along with adapting to a different pace could be a great learning curve. But Laval is the development team in a league that is set in place for that exact reason. The Canadiens can afford to be patient, and refrain from rushing players.

Having time to adjust to the professional game – in terms of the quality of players, the physical aspect and how quick the game is – are instances where starting in the minors and earning your stripes is the smart approach.

At the very least, waiting until the final 20 games of the season before inserting Roy, Mailloux, Sean Farrell and Riley Kidney for instance makes a lot of sense. From a development standpoint, they get to play heavy minutes, with important roles in the American league. Then they can play between 10-15 games or even 15-20 on the higher end, in order to learn where they need to improve before the offseason approaches.

If a player proves to be too talented to stay, then you make the move and bring them up. Otherwise, why not let them deal with some adversity and come together as a team before playing with the big club? They will arrive, and when they do, it will be best if they are as ready to join the Habs, as the team is to have them join.

Patience, young grasshopper. It takes patience to build a contender, and the same can be said about developing bona fide NHL talent.

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