Montreal Canadiens Place Young Promising Forward on Waivers Despite 34-Goal Pace in Sophomore Season
The Montreal Canadiens have a wealth of young players, but now they've shockingly placed 25-year old Rafael Harvey-Pinard on waivers after he has struggled to recapture the form of 2022/23 which made him a hot name in Montreal.
Two years ago, the Montreal Canadiens believed they had potentially found a star in forward Rafael Harvey-Pinard, as the then 23-year old put up a fantastic NHL campaign in limited opportunities.
In 34 games played, RHP put together 14 goals and 20 points alongside a +10 differential, but after injuries came back to haunt him, he could never quite put together that same production.
Now, the team have officially placed him on waivers with the intention of sending him back to the AHL's Laval Rocket, with the 25-year old expected to draw interest on the waiver wire.
This season, Harvey-Pinard has put up one goal in five games with the Rocket, and while he's been unable to replicate the success he did back in 2022/23 with Montreal, he still has plenty of potential, with the team still seeing plenty of success in his future.
Standing at 5-foot-9, the former seventh round draft pick has to rely on his speed and skill to find success at the NHL level, and with 17 goals and 31 points in 83 NHL games thus far, many believed he could be a part of Montreal's future.
However, that now doesn't appear to be the case, as the team aren't looking to give him an extended run despite their struggles, and ultimately, this could be the reason he ends up moving on.
For now though, fans should keep a close eye on this one, as a player this talented doesn't find their way onto waivers every day, so expect plenty of interest in the young winger.
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Aleksander Barkov | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Cole Caufield | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Michael Matheson | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Artemi Panarin | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Nick Suzuki | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Mika Zibanejad | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Adam Fox | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Matthew Tkachuk | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Anthony Beauvillier | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Sam Bennett | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Adam Boqvist | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Aaron Ekblad | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Nico Hischier | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Kaapo Kakko | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Matthew Knies | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Alex Laferriere | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Andrew Mangiapane | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Matt Martin | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Evan Rodrigues | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Mackie Samoskevich | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 24 | 18 | 6 | - | 36 | |
Wild | 23 | 15 | 4 | 4 | 34 | |
Devils | 26 | 16 | 8 | 2 | 34 | |
Capitals | 23 | 16 | 6 | 1 | 33 | |
Hurricanes | 23 | 16 | 6 | 1 | 33 | |
Golden Knights | 24 | 15 | 6 | 3 | 33 | |
Panthers | 24 | 14 | 9 | 1 | 29 | |
Kings | 24 | 13 | 8 | 3 | 29 | |
Stars | 22 | 14 | 8 | - | 28 | |
Maple Leafs | 22 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 28 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||