Canadiens News and Notes: All-Stars, Reinbacher, and Demidov

Beck, who was called up to play a couple of NHL games, has returned to Laval in time for this honour. His rookie professional season is going well, as he has nine goals and 25 points in 38 games while showing flashes of becoming an impactful middle-six centre at the next level.  

Lavallagher Returns to Montreal 

With Emil Heineman still out with an injury, Montreal needed some added forward depth as they continued their homestand. Because of that, Montreal announced the recall of Rafael Harvey-Pinard from Laval. Pinard, who was given the nickname “Lavallagher” during his first season in Laval because his play resembled that of Brendan Gallagher’s, was penciled in to be on the NHL roster at the start of the season, but a serious injury forced him to miss significant time and then be assigned to Laval. He has scored four goals and recorded 11 points in 24 AHL games this season.  

The 26-year-old is likely going to be just the latest callup who will get a few games before management moves on to the next player. Something that is likely being done as an assessment tool to judge each player’s progression or if there is a future fit for them in the organization. 

Canadiens Send Struble for Conditioning 

The Canadiens assigned defenseman Jayden Struble to the AHL for a conditioning assignment. This was a necessary distinction as he would need to clear waivers if he were to be reassigned to the Rocket otherwise. 

The young defenseman has been a healthy scratch for seven-consecutive games and is clearly having a hard time earning ice time with the Canadiens. His last game was on Jan. 10 in Washington. In 26 games with Montreal this season, he has scored two goals and recorded five points. There hasn’t been much appetite for head coach Martin St. Louis to make lineup changes with the team finding success recently, going 13-4-1 since mid-December and getting back in the wild-card mix.

Montreal only had seven defensemen on the active roster when Struble was there. With him now in Laval, the Canadiens are now down to six. This could signal some future moves as the team continues its homestand, but any callup of a defenseman would have to wait as Struble remains on the active roster during his conditioning, leaving Montreal full at 23 roster players. To proceed with a callup, someone would need to go back down to Laval as Harvey-Pinard was called up only two days prior to Struble’s status change.  

Demidov Receives High Praise from Canadiens’ Rival  

Ivan Demidov has been getting more ice time with his Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) club SKA St-Petersberg, which began after the Canadiens management team went to Russia for an in-person visit. With that additional time, his production has skyrocketed in the 13 games since with 10 goals and 17 points. This takes him to 37 points in 44 games played, tying Eeli Tolvanen’s KHL rookie points record at 37. This is all while averaging only 12:06 time on ice per game, even with this newfound time since the brass visited. This production — and his play overall — has not just captured the attention of Canadiens fans, but also Russian players currently plying their trade in the NHL. 

One such player is Nikita Zadorov of the Boston Bruins. According to him, Demidov should never have been available when the Canadiens selected him at fifth overall. Zadorov said in an exclusive interview with Igor Rabiner of RG.org “His skill set is so elite that I’m surprised that he fell to fifth place in the draft. His skating, shooting, and hockey IQ – it’s really fun to watch him go.” 

“If I were Chicago, I would have taken him. When you have a player with such natural talent and hockey IQ, in my opinion, you grab that, and the rest will work itself out. You can teach defence, and he’s shown a willingness to improve that part of his game.”

– Nikita Zadorov 

In Zadorov’s estimation, Demidov is tailor-made for the Montreal market, possessing the right personality and values to thrive in that pressure-filled environment. Canadiens fans are hoping his assessment is correct, as the arrival of a legitimate star offensive forward has been exactly what they have been wanting for several years. 

Canadiens’ Prospect Reinbacher Returns

David Reinbacher seems to be ahead of schedule on his return from a knee injury he suffered in preseason. He joined the Canadiens on the ice in their training facility in Brossard for practice wearing a no-contact jersey. 

He has has tested his operated knee out over the past few weeks under the supervision of training staff, but joining the team on the ice is another step in the right direction. This gives hope Reinbacher could return to action much earlier than expected. Even if he does return, the plan will most likely be to send him back to Laval, and if all goes well, to finish the season logging significant minutes and potentially earning some experience during a playoff run if the Canadiens can make it.  

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