Pascal Vincent knows a thing or two about developing players and what it takes for them to make it at the next level. Vincent's tenure with the Columbus Blue Jackets didn't work out as great as he hoped, but returning to the Laval Rocket to develop the Montreal Canadiens' exciting crop of prospects after their rebuild was a perfect fit. It has been a successful year so far in Laval, and one player's recent resurgence should only make it better.
Sean Farrell had a rough start to the season in Laval, exacerbated by his inability to produce on the scoresheet. Something clicked for Farrell over the past couple of weeks, leading him to record seven goals and six assists over the past ten games. Sometimes, we get too caught up in what the numbers say on a player's HockeyDB page, and according to Vicent, too many people wrote Farrell off after his offensive struggles. Farrell's breakout isn't a surprise in the new head coach's eyes.
"He's been good all year. Even early in the season, he wasn't producing but his effort, attention to details were amazing. For a guy like him that doesn't score or produce offensively, you wonder what's going on[..] He did different things. He was really good at understanding the new systems, executing defensively and then he started to produce. Since then, he's been one of our best offensive guy on our team."
Farrell played in six games for the Canadiens in 2022-23, but hasn't been able to crack the lineup in either of the past two seasons. Montreal could see some players moving out the door at the trade deadline, which means they'll need to find some internal options to fill those holes. If Farrell continues to contribute, Kent Hughes will likely reward him with some time with the big club.
It's a tough spot to be in for Farrell. Even if he comes up to Montreal for the rest of this season, it's hard to see him managing to maintain a spot on the roster. With Ivan Demidov likely making the jump to North America next season, Michael Hage not being far behind him, and the other young prospects higher on the list in Laval, there aren't many spots for Farrell.
The question could be whether the Canadiens will jump on Farrell's success and deal him at the deadline. He is in the last year of his deal and might request a fresh start next season. The Canadiens still have him under control as an RFA, but they could work something out if he doesn't see a path to the NHL roster. It'd be a massive loss for the minor league club's path to a Calder Cup, but they have to do what's in the best interest of the franchise as a whole.