It feels like the end for Rafaël Harvey-Pinard in the Habs organization

Harvey-Pinard will become a restricted free agent on July 1… but the Habs must submit a qualifying offer by June 30 if they wish to retain his services. The offer would be $1 million for one year.

That said, at 26, it seems pretty hard to see a world in which Harvey-Pinard becomes a factor again with the Canadiens eventually. It’s logical to think that the Habs won’t take advantage of this option, because there’s a limit to the number of contracts a team can have on its books.

Using one of your 50 contracts for a player who doesn’t really have a future with your organization, and who is unlikely to be a real option for a recall (even if he did play a game in Montreal this year), isn’t optimal management.

You might think that the Habs could bring him back next year by signing him to an AHL contract… but you have to wonder if that’s something that would really interest the Québécois. More importantly, would it really interest the Canadiens, who already have some good veterans under contract in Laval and will want to keep room for the youngsters.

If not, there’s always the option of Europe for Harvey-Pinard… but in any case, another NHL contract with the Habs seems unlikely for the Québécois this summer. It’s a shame, because he showed great promise two years ago, but things change quickly in the world of sports.

Overtime

– The salary cap could rise even higher than expected in the next few years.

– It’s understandable.

– Nothing less.

– Interesting.