Rafaël-Harvey-Pinard: He has set standards that will be difficult to reach again
Auteur: Manuel Sperandio-LemayIf Rafaël Harvey-Pinard achieved anything last season, it was scoring goals. That, and forcing the respect of people in the field hockey world who didn’t really believe in him, but that bit is another story I won’t go into in depth here.
Let’s get back to the Jonquière native’s incredible ability to shine a light behind opposing goaltenders. In 34 games in the Bettman Circuit last season, he scored no less than 14 goals. Over a full season, that’s 34 goals if I round up and get my rule of three right. But don’t worry, it is.
RHP, as he’s nicknamed, has never really been seen as an ace scorer.
The man I’d like to be nicknamed La sauce doesn’t seem to have the compact in his eye, and even if he knows how to score goals, it’s not automatically his greatest strength. So why, all of a sudden, was he rolling along at a pace of 34 goals in an NHL season last season?
I don’t know.
What I do know is that numbers never lie. The Sauce (yes, I’m promoting my beloved nickname!) converted 24.1% of his shots into goals, and that’s a figure that’s off the charts even for the NHL’s greatest goal scorers.
Being among the elite last season could play a nasty trick on Rafaël Harvey-Pinard. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/izm3xARrc7
– JB Gagné (@gagnej_b) August 18, 2023
It could be, because it’s not impossible since he’s done it before, but it’s clearly unlikely!
That said, it’s probably something that Kent Hughes took into account when it came time to offer him a new contract. With his new salary of $1.1 million, he’s definitely not being paid like a 30-goal guy in the NHL.
I hope this doesn’t come back to bite him in the ass. I’d like to think that Canadiens fans won’t hold it against him if he fails to repeat such a feat.
I also hope that we’ll all be able to put his mind-boggling performances into perspective. After all, there’s a very good chance that the former Davis Pizzeria man of all missions won’t be paired with Nick Suzuki as often as he was last season.
If being on thepower play with Alex Kovalev and Andrei Markov made a difference for Seldon Souray, I can’t believe that being on the same line as Suzuki didn’t for RHP.
In closing, I sincerely hope that the man I had the chance to interview last May will be given every opportunity to make his mark, and that he’ll be able to prove me wrong.
In bursts
– Those who actually check the information before publishing didn’t fall for it.
Updated Post: Is Jagr Retunring to the Penguins? Nope https://t.co/xdOqItvuLB
– Dean Blundell🇨🇦 (@ItsDeanBlundell) August 17, 2023
– One day, I hope Nick Suzuki and Kirby Dach find themselves in this kind of poll.
Which of these center duos would you want on your team?🤔
(h/t @MikeBartner) pic.twitter.com/Bttv5Tgvfv
– BarDown (@BarDown) August 18, 2023
– On the other hand, you don’t get many opportunities to win during the summer at home, during rookie camp.
He explains why he skipped the Flyers’ development camp.https://t.co/LLpjximVb7
– TVA Sports (@TVASports) August 17, 2023
– When the Habs have a better cohort of goalies than you, it doesn’t go well!
How would you rate the Kings’ goalie depth next season? 🧐📝 #GoKingsGo pic.twitter.com/1xQU6xrUS4
– NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) August 17, 2023