Four Players Appear Done With the Montreal Canadiens, According to Journalist
Photo credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
Kent Hughes and his fellow NHL general managers have until June 30 at 5 p.m. Eastern Time to submit qualifying offers to restricted free agents.
This is what they must do if they want to retain their rights beyond July 1.
So, in addition to managing their draft strategy and planning for the opening of free agency, the Canadiens' front office also needs to make decisions about nine young players already within the organization.
Those players are: Emil Heineman, Rafaël Harvey-Pinard, Sean Farrell, and Xavier Simoneau, defensemen Jayden Struble, Noel Hoefenmayer, and William Trudeau, as well as goaltenders Jakub Dobes and Cayden Primeau.
Which Players Will Leave the Montreal Canadiens?
In a recent article published on the TVA Sports website, Vincent Duquette tried to predict the Canadiens' intentions regarding this matter.
According to him, Emil Heineman, Jayden Struble, and Jakub Dobes will undoubtedly receive a qualifying offer from the organization.
However, the fate of young Cayden Primeau remains uncertain. At 25 years old, he has yet to establish himself at the NHL level.
In the journalist's opinion, the Canadiens should cut ties with the goaltender.
Where things get interesting is in the group of players Duquette believes are likely finished with the Montreal organization.
Duquette thinks Gustav Lindstrom, Noel Hoefenmayer, Xavier Simoneau, and Rafaël Harvey-Pinard will not be retained.
That last name comes as a surprise..
That would mean four players are set to leave the Canadiens.
Rafaël Harvey-Pinard on His Way Out of Montreal?
In 2022-2023, the small forward had a surprising breakout with the Canadiens. After a strong first half of the season in Laval, he was called up to finish the year in Montreal and did very well, posting 20 points in 34 games.
Many believed his spot with the big club was locked in.
But things didn't go as planned, as his performance dropped off significantly during the two seasons of that contract.
Even under Pascal Vincent with the Laval Rocket, it was a tough stretch for the 26-year-old forward.
Considering NHL teams are allowed to carry only 50 active contracts on their roster, one has to wonder whether it's worth keeping RHP, especially since he clearly no longer seems to be in the organization's plans.
However, he could be offered an AHL contract, which would not count toward the 50-contract limit in the collective bargaining agreement.
Even though he's slowed down, RHP is still a good player, and his experience could be very useful for the Rocket next season-especially following the departure of Brandon Gignac.
These are definitely situations to keep an eye on!
| POLL | ||
JUIN 22 | 2192 ANSWERS Four Players Appear Done With the Montreal Canadiens, According to Journalist Where will Rafael Harvey-Pinard play next season? | ||
| Montreal Canadiens | 99 | 4.5 % |
| Laval Rocket | 722 | 32.9 % |
| Elswhere in the NHL/AHL | 819 | 37.4 % |
| In Europe | 552 | 25.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
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