No surprise here.
The Canadiens announced that Joshua Roy has been assigned to the Laval Rocket. He will likely finish the season with the Canadiens’ affiliate team (unless there’s a change in the playoffs) and will not join the main team in Washington.
And it was expected.
The Canadiens have assigned forward Joshua Roy to the Laval Rocket. pic.twitter.com/fwG2IlhCBg
— x – Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) April 17, 2025
Because Roy was the last forward in the Canadiens’ hierarchy (even behind Michael Pezzetta), he had no chance of playing and will likely learn more by playing in Laval, his assignment was logical.
Roy has not played since March 27. If the Canadiens had won on Monday, he might have played yesterday, but that didn’t happen.
He will now be able to participate in the Rocket’s last two regular season games and the playoffs. Pascal Vincent will not say no to the return of such a talented player to Laval.
And the Québécois will surely be proud to play – even if we assume the trip to Washington must have been tempting. This being said, he must have known he wouldn’t be there in the playoffs with the guys in place.
Because we have to say it: seeing Oliver Kapanen and Ivan Demidov arrive in town has changed the situation and brought depth that the team really needed for the next part of the season.
The way the team is built, I would be surprised if we don’t see the same 20 players in uniform for the first playoff game, with Arber Xhekaj, Oliver Kapanen, and Michael Pezzetta in uniform.
La formation de ce soir
Tonight’s lineup#GoHabsGo | @mtlgazette pic.twitter.com/R6S23FXBFI
— x – Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) April 16, 2025
Let’s remember that the Rocket is a power in the league. Yesterday, the team missed its chance to finish at the top of the AHL in the regular season, but there are still two games left to achieve that.
Adding Roy to all this is interesting.
The Habs, the Rocket, the Lions, and the Victory are all in the playoffs. Hockey in Quebec is doing well right now… and even if we were expecting playoffs for three of these four teams, it’s noticeable.
In the end, it’s the amateur who wins.
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!