Expectations for the Laval Rocket This Upcoming Season

This season, the Rocket are also hoping for former 5th overall pick David Reinbacher to actually play more than 10 games and stay healthy. Unfortunately, due to a broken finger, he will yet again miss time to start the year. Thankfully, it shouldn’t be longer than the first month of the season, and they will see him play much sooner than last season. Reinbacher has proven, when healthy, to be among the best players on the Rocket; it’s really just a matter of whether he can finally avoid injuries. Also, by staying healthy, he can get back on track to becoming the defenseman that the Canadiens were hoping for when they drafted him. 

He can eventually become a shutdown defenseman that can serve as an anchor on the back end alongside a more offensive partner like Lane Hutson or Adam Engstrom, who he will likely play with again this season with the Rocket.

For Engstrom he is expected to continue to be the team’s top power-play QB and improve his defensive game some more before he gets his eventual call-up to the NHL. In all honesty, after the camp he has had, Engstrom is extremely close, if not already ready, for the NHL, but as mentioned on Sunday, there just isn’t a spot for him in the NHL with everyone healthy right now. His time will come, but for now, he must continue to help the Rocket win games.

At forward, after a tough Training Camp, Joshua Roy will be looking to have a great start to the year to prove he shouldn’t be written off just yet. He is expected to be one of the Rocket’s top players again this season. High expectations will also be given to Florian Xhekaj, who proved to be one of the most surprising players at camp. The Rocket will likely expect him to continue to score at an above-20-goal pace and continue being the team’s protector for the more pure-skilled players. However, they will also want him to give a role in killing penalties yet again. Just like Engstrom, he is expected to get a call from the Habs at some point this season.

Although the first call-up at forward may end up being Owen Beck, who is a versatile 2-way player that can play anywhere in the lineup and be among the Rocket’s top performers, no matter where he plays. He and Xhekaj will likely form a strong penalty kill duo, but he will also be given a lot of power-play time in hopes of improving on his 15 goals and 44 points from last year. 

Meanwhile, in nets, the Rocket will have the privilege of developing the possible future starting goaltender of the Canadiens, Jacob Fowler. They have surrounded him well by giving him a veteran backup like Kaapo Kahkonen, who can serve as a mentor and help him adapt to a full season of pro hockey for the first time. If anything, in terms of the positions, the goaltenders have the biggest expectations to have a great year in Laval.

When it’s all set and done, the Rocket should again be Calder Cup contenders for the 2025-26 season with a nice balance of veterans and young prospects in their lineup. It wouldn’t be shocking to see them go all the way, as their top players will just be a year older. However, their season could also depend on the Canadiens staying healthy so that the Rocket’s core stays intact for most of the season. It should be a fun year for the Rocket as they remain among the top teams in the AHL.

What are your expectations for the Rocket this season?