A new French connection with Habs in 2024-2025?
The combinations in the top-six have been discussed numerous times over the past few weeks on news sites and blogs.
Who will take the sixth player spot in the top-six? There is a desire for a trade to acquire a player identified as a potential fit to complement Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook.
However, no one has sought to complete the combinations for a third or fourth line. What if we had a 100% Quebec trio in Montreal as early as this season?
The acquisition of Quebec native Alex Barré-Boulet becomes interesting for the offensive dynamics that the Canadiens could create on a fourth line or even in the top-nine.
Imagine a fourth line with Rafaël Harvey-Pinard on the left wing, Alex Barré-Boulet at center, and Joshua Roy on the right wing. It would be the return of a French connection in Montreal.
In an era where the game focuses on speed and puck-handling skills, the three players could complement each other wonderfully. Three players with a strong work ethic and a desire to make a difference!
Joshua Roy showed great promise in 2023-2024. The right winger scored nine points in 23 games with the Canadiens. His compatriot with the Canadiens, Rafaël Harvey-Pinard, scored two goals and had eight assists for 10 points in 45 games.
For his part, Alex Barré-Boulet was dominant in the American Hockey League in 2022-2023 with 84 points in 69 games for the Syracuse Crunch. Last year, the small center for the Tampa Bay Lightning scored nine points in 36 games with the big club and 19 points in 23 games with the farm team.
It remains to be seen if Martin St-Louis and his assistants will go in this direction, but it would be worth a try for the preseason games. Will Kent Hughes look like a genius with a depth signing?
Let's not forget Toronto's Michael Pezzetta, who is still in the plans. In a few years, young prospects such as Owen Beck, Oliver Kapanen, and other forwards could try their luck in the Canadiens' top-nine.
Only time will tell...
| POLL | ||
How many goals will score the French connection with Harvey-Pinard, Barré-Boulet and Roy? | ||
| 10-19 | 87 | 32.5 % |
| 20-29 | 103 | 38.4 % |
| 30-39 | 48 | 17.9 % |
| More than 40 | 30 | 11.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
