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Next reminder: Here are five candidates who deserve a chance to shine.

 Marc-Olivier Cook
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Next reminder: Here are five candidates who deserve a chance to shine.
Credit: Getty Images
At the time of writing, there are no injured players (apart from Carey Price) on the Montreal Canadiens.

But if a player were to get injured, or if the Canadiens were to recall a guy from Laval for reason X, who would be the best candidate right now?

I’ve put together a list of five names that I think might have a chance.

Ultimately, we have to start with Rafaël Harvey-Pinard, for obvious reasons.

He hasn’t broken anything since the start of his season in Laval, but still: he knows the National League and has helped the Habs in the past.

He’d be a logical candidate in my eyes, even if he’s coming back from injury and needs to find his rhythm.

Joshua Roy missed his chance by being invisible in all four games after being recalled. He’s been blanked four times and we haven’t seen much of him on the ice.

Tony Marinaro summed it up well yesterday on the JiC show, saying that Roy simply didn’t get the message.

But besides Harvey-Pinard… Who’s standing out down there?

Here are my suggestions :

1. I’d really like to see Luke Tuch – who’s on the sidelines – get a chance to show his colors at some point this season.

I’m not saying he should ABSOLUTELY be the next one called up if he’s healthy, but if we see a lack of effort from the Habs in the coming weeks and Kent Hughes wants to shake things up, Tuch would be an interesting choice in my eyes.

His physicality could help:

2. Anthony Marcotte mentioned his name on the radio this morning(BPM Sports) and we haven’t heard much about him in recent weeks, but Jared Davidson is having quite a season in the AHL.

This is his second year in the pros and he’s producing like a good offensive player: he has 10 goals and five assists (15 points) in just 17 games this season.

And what’s interesting about him is that the goals are there because he’s playing the right way.

He’s involved in every facet of the game and there’s intensity in every one of his appearances.

3. Alex Barré-Boulet is also a guy who deserves the chance to prove himself.

He had the opportunity to start the season in Montreal because he had a very good camp, and he’s producing at a more than interesting pace in the AHL.

He has 16 points in 13 games, and offensively, perhaps he can help the Canadiens if need be. That said, he’d have to be placed in a situation that’s favorable to him in the lineup, and if the top-9 remains healthy, it’s going to be hard to fit him in…

Because we know that Barré-Boulet has offensive qualities :

4. In closing, I’m hesitating between two names… But Xavier Simoneau is – in my opinion – a guy who needs to be given a chance to shine at some point.

He’s small at 5’7 and 178 pounds, but he’s got a heart as big as the Bell Centre, and players who work like him know how to stand out because they never go unnoticed on the ice.

Kind of like Brendan Gallagher…

You’ll have noticed that I didn’t mention Logan Mailloux, and here’s why: there’s no rush for the defenseman, who needs time to develop and correct his shortcomings on the ice.

In any case, we’ve seen what Mailloux is capable of with three points (including a goal) in five games this season with the Canadiens.

We know he has the potential to become a good offensive defenseman, and now he needs to work on the rest of his game to be the best player he can be when the Canadiens are ready to win.

At the same time, the Rocket need all their best players right now because the club has lost five of their last six games…


Overtime

– Sick.

– He’s good.

– It’s the right mentality.

– Wow!

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