Breaking down Canadiens' choice to recall Lucas Condotta over Joshua Roy

It wasn't a popular choice among the fanbase, but the Montreal Canadiens chose Lucas Condotta to join the big club after Josh Anderson's injury on Saturday night. The fans felt that Joshua Roy was the better choice, as he was penciled in to make the opening night roster entering the season but returned to Laval after a disappointing training camp. The front office chose to leave him in Laval instead of bringing him to Philadelphia for Sunday night's game, which makes sense.

An injury to Anderson doesn't open a spot in the top six. Roy has been playing with confidence since returning to Laval, which is why they sent him there in the first place. It wouldn't make much sense to recall him to Montreal to play him in a bottom six that lacks talent. Roy would come to Montreal and likely fail to show much offensive upside, which could crater his confidence again and eventually send him back to Laval.

You may be thinking that if that's how Montreal looks at Roy's future, then he would never find a good time to come to Montreal. I don't necessarily believe that is true. The Canadiens might try to find a way to get Roy to Montreal later in the season when Patrik Laine returns, and there's more depth down the lineup. Roy could then play on the second line with Kirby Dach and Laine while Alex Newhook centers the third line, or he could play on the third line himself with a player like Oliver Kapanen.

Laval's captain, Condotta, deserved the call-up after his start to the season. He has three assists in six games as a two-way forward and has just four games played in his NHL career. If Anderson isn't out long-term, Condotta can come up and play a couple of games, then return to Laval and reclaim his captaincy.

The same people complaining that Condotta was the choice over Roy are the same people who would complain if Roy came to Philadelphia and failed to produce. Let Condotta fill a role in the bottom six and be a reliable player for Martin St. Louis to insert for ten minutes of ice time.