Laval Rocket will miss Joshua Roy for four-to-six weeks with upper-body injury

The Laval Rocket assumed they'd be without Joshua Roy for some time after he went crashing into the end-boards in a game over the weekend. It was a scary-looking collision, and Roy will now miss four-to-six weeks with the injury. It's unfortunate for the Rocket but disappointing for the player and the Montreal Canadiens. The AHL selected Roy for his first All-Star Game, which he will now miss. Roy was also the first option out of Laval if the Canadiens suffered an injury to an offensive-minded guy, which they'll now be without if anything happens over the next few weeks.

Roy was beginning to catch fire when the injury occured, as he had seven points in his previous ten games. He totaled 14 goals and 13 assists in 33 games, and was five points away from beating his career high from last season. Roy will likely return in four-to-six weeks and eclipse that total, but the fans won't get to see his full potential this season.

It's also unfortunate timing since Emil Heineman is out for the same timeline with an injury. Roy was one of the players that the Canadiens could've recalled in his absence, even though it was a bit of a stretch to assume he'd come up and play fourth-line minutes. Roy was considering possibly having a big week or two in the AHL and earning another call-up.

Most of all, it's four to six weeks plus the subsequent shaking the rust off that Roy will miss with his development. It's a critical year in his development, as there is an argument to be made that Roy would be a full-time member of the roster next season. Roy knows he will have to beat out the guys currently on the roster, plus the other emerging prospects in Laval and the pending signing of Ivan Demidov.

Roy is up against the odds with his current place in the roster, especially after some below-average appearances in recent call-ups. He is in danger of losing some ground in the organizational depth chart, and a four-to-six week absence isn't going to help.