Owen Beck: The Strange Space Between Ready and Needed

Owen Beck is getting pretty good at waiting. The Montreal Canadiens sent him back to the Laval Rocket again this season after Beck made it to the final day of training camp. At 22, and with 28 NHL games already behind him, he clearly believes he is close to being an NHL player. The Canadiens may believe that, too. But being close and having a place are two different things.

What We Learned About Owen Beck.

Beck lost the final forward roster spot to Florian Xhekaj, a more physical player who was scheduled to make his regular-season debut after Ivan Demidov was injured. That's hockey. Rosters aren't built simply by ranking every player from one to 20. Sometimes a team needs a particular kind of player. Sometimes there's an injury. Sometimes there just isn't a chair when the music stops.

What I like about Beck's response is that he seems to understand that. "I'm just ready to put the work in," he said after returning to Laval. He acknowledged that playing in the NHL has benefits and that it isn't ideal to be sent down. But then he offered a wonderful image. "Spend a little bit more time in the oven, and I think you come out the other side a bit better."

I like that.

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Sometimes Development with the Canadiens Means Waiting.

Beck hasn't exactly been tearing up the AHL to start this season. He was held without a point in Laval's first two games against Syracuse, although he had four shots and played extensively on the penalty kill. But that's almost beside the point.

What Beck seems to be learning is that development doesn't always happen on the timetable a player wants. He can be disappointed without becoming discouraged. He can believe he's ready without deciding that the organization has made some terrible mistake. That's a pretty valuable lesson for a young player.

And there may be another lesson here for the Canadiens. Beck is in the final year of his entry-level contract. He could become a restricted free agent next summer. If he spends another season waiting for an opportunity that never quite arrives, eventually the question may become whether the best thing for both sides is a change of scenery. But that's a question for later.

For now, Owen Beck has been sent back to the oven. Maybe a little more time there isn't so bad.

Related: Michael Hage Is Giving Canadiens Fans Something to Wait For