Joshua Roy is the CH’s best hope, says Craig Button

Ever since the Canadiens drafted Joshua Roy 150th (fifth round) in the 2021 draft, the young Quebec forward has been making the organization look really good. He’s just had two big seasons in the QMJHL and is clearly a more promising prospect than his draft rank would suggest.

But in the eyes of Craig Button (TSN’s prospect expert), Roy is a very high-quality prospect. In fact, he rates the young Quebecer as the organization’s top prospect, giving him an A grade (which means he has the potential to become an NHL all-star).

The other A-rated prospect in Button’s eyes is David Reinbacher Lane Hutson. Reinbacher, Owen Beck and Logan Mailloux round out the top-5.

As for Reinbacher, Beck and Mailloux, Button gives them a B grade, which means he sees them as guys who have the potential to be solid contributors. In other words, it’s a happy medium between star player and support player.

In Roy’s case, it’s not really a surprise given Button’s long-standing love affair with him, who sees him as an elite offensive player. In fact, over a year ago, he ranked him second among CH prospects (only now-graduate Kaiden Guhle was ahead of him) and 38th among Bettman prospects.

I’ll admit that my ranking, in which I don’t include guys who played in the NHL (except Beck), is a bit different. In fact, I have the same five players, but in a different order: Hutson, Reinbacher, Beck, Mailloux and Roy.

That said, it’s interesting to see that Button thinks Roy has so much potential. Last year, he saw Arber Xhekaj as a much better prospect than many, who saw him as a project. A year later, he looks good, and I hope he’s right again.

In short, an interesting ranking with which I don’t necessarily agree, but which is food for thought. Button concludes by noting that he really likes the CH’s prospect bank, a group in which he sees several guys who have the potential to be part of the team’s future.

We can only hope he’s right.

In a gaggle

– At this level, Ryan O’Reilly will certainly help.

“It’s a crucial piece for our youth and our corporate culture” 👌🏒 https://t.co/ON9DhhvVVB

– TVA Sports (@TVASports) July 3, 2023

– We wish him every success.

– Surprise at Wimbledon.

Félix Auger-Aliassime is eliminated in the first round of Wimbledon against American Michael Mmoh! 📷 pic.twitter.com/JRrvcf3wqn

– RDS (@RDSca) July 3, 2023

– Too bad.

– Great news.

– The Lakers have been active on the autonomy market since Friday.