Joshua Roy: Montreal experience better than Laval playoff run, says club

The title of the TVA Sports article below is a good one: Joshua Roy is a beautiful problem.

It’s true that he’s a problem, because even if his place is in Montreal, both this year and next, it’s fair to ask whether experience in a playoff race in Laval is better than experience in Montreal, in a season on the water.

Kent Hughes weighed in on the subject earlier today and seems to feel that the best experience for his forward is up in Montreal.

They’ve evaluated all the possibilities, and if they wanted him in Laval, he’d be there right now. But right now, Roy is playing so well in the best league in the world that it’s hard to send him down, even if it wouldn’t necessarily be a consequence.

Note that Jayden Struble and the Quebecer are eligible to go back down for the playoffs. But as it stands, the Rocket is a long way from qualifying for the spring tournament. It’s going to take some wins, and Roy certainly wouldn’t have minded.

In 2024-2025, Roy’s place is in sunny Montreal. Could he break into the top-6 and play with Alex Newhook and Kirby Dach, like? I hope so. In any case, he could blossom, given his immense talent.

In his segment La Mise en échec, Renaud Lavoie even talks about Roy as a first-round player. The tipster says that had he played to his full potential the year he was drafted, he could easily have been selected in the first round, or at the very least, the second round. That’s no mean feat for the man selected 150th in the 2021 draft.

This one could turn out to be quite a steal. In 22 games, he has nine points, including four goals. But off the scoresheet, he plays inspired hockey and is rarely lost or out of position on the ice.

In short, no, he’s not better served in Laval than in Montreal, despite the difference in intensity between games. Under Jean-François Houle, he could have helped the other prospects (Kent Hughes named David Reinbacher), but in Montreal, he belongs, and an NHL experience is, in my eyes, stronger than any other experience.

In gusto

– Well said, Max.

– I’d imagine.

“It shakes up a team for a good 24 hours”

Stéphane Waite has already had to deal with the hasty departure of former Habs coach Claude Julien on the playoff bubble in 2020.

He looks back on this story with @RainvilleJRhttps://t.co/Kef8gc3MGO pic.twitter.com/68W1kKeUos

– 98.5 Sports (@985Sports) March 19, 2024

– Whew.

– Too bad.

– Really?

– End of the saga.