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Potential departures of Evans, Armia, and Dvorak: Joshua Roy better be ready
Mathis Therrien
Potential departures of Evans, Armia, and Dvorak: Joshua Roy better be ready
Credit: Getty Images
Once the Four Nations Tournament is behind us, all eyes will turn to the next big event on the NHL calendar, which is the trade deadline.

Indeed, after February 20, the date of the tournament final, things are likely to escalate until March 7 regarding various trade rumors surrounding different available players.

The 32 NHL teams will want to do what is best to meet their goals, and the Montreal Canadiens are no exception.

According to recent rumors, Kent Hughes is expected to be quite busy leading up to March 7, as he is likely to have several open cases on the table, both to sell players and to improve his team right now.

As for the players who could be sold by the Habs, aside from David Savard and Mike Matheson, there are three forwards: Jake Evans, Joel Armia, and Christian Dvorak.

Obviously, Dvorak is the one with the lowest value, and thus is the one who might end up generating nothing for the Habs and consequently remain in Montreal.

But for Evans and Armia, the chances are starting to get quite high that we will see them leave the Tricolore in the coming weeks.

In short, the Habs could potentially find themselves with two or three gaping holes in their lineup after March 7.

These holes will need to be filled, and several candidates will have their chance, starting with the young players who are performing best with the Laval Rocket.

And among these future candidates is Joshua Roy.

The young Quebecer has had several chances to prove himself in the NHL, but he has never really managed to seize them completely and has always ended up disappointing.

However, with the potential departures of three forwards, Roy may get another chance, and this time he must not squander it, and he must demonstrate that he understands what he needs to do to establish himself in the NHL.

If Roy does not stand out with the Habs in this potential next audition after March 7, those who still believe in him will lose hope of seeing the talented winger establish himself in the best league in the world.

It’s all a matter of attitude and work ethic for Roy, but at this point, it seems that it would take a miracle.

Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see what the Habs’ lineup looks like after the trade deadline.

Here is what I would envision if the Tricolore does not acquire NHL forwards in their trades by March 7 at 3 PM.

Cole Caufield – Nick Suzuki – Juraj Slafkovsky
Patrik Laine – Kirby Dach – Emil Heineman
Alex Newhook – Owen Beck – Joshua Roy
Brendan Gallagher – Oliver Kapanen* – Josh Anderson

I placed an asterisk next to Kapanen’s name, given that he is currently playing in Sweden with Timra IK, and he will not join the Habs until his team finishes its season and is eliminated from playoff contention.

He therefore wouldn’t be there immediately after March 7, but he would eventually join the Tricolore.

In short, with this lineup without Evans, Armia, and Dvorak, several young players would have great opportunities, and Roy will really need to perform; otherwise, other young players will surpass him and seize their chance.

I’m thinking, among others, of Jared Davidson, 22, who is probably just waiting for his chance in the NHL, while having an excellent season in Laval with 29 points, including 16 goals, in 42 games.

In short, Roy better be ready if he doesn’t want to be pushed aside, and if he wants to stand out before the arrival of Ivan Demidov next season and Michael Hage in the coming seasons.

The Quebecer won’t really have many more chances since he has already disappointed several times, including this season at training camp and at the beginning of the campaign.

He will have to give his all every night, which is a flaw for him unfortunately.


In Brief

– A superstition?

– From enemies to compatriots in a trio.

– A Habs prospect to keep an eye on.

– What a beautiful goal for his 200th!

–

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