The Montreal Canadiens have reassigned winger Rafaël Harvey-Pinard to the AHL’s Laval Rocket on a long-term injury conditioning loan, the team announced on Tuesday.
Harvey-Pinard, 25, has missed the entire season so far after suffering a broken leg during offseason training in late July. With a five-month recovery timeline, it comes as no surprise that he’s now nearing a return to game action.
The 5’9″ left winger began skating at the end of October and has been participating in contact drills for about a week. Sportsnet’s Eric Engels reported on Saturday that the 2019 seventh-round pick was close to making his return.
Harvey-Pinard can spend up to two weeks in Laval before the Canadiens must decide whether he’s healthy enough to return to the NHL and activate him from Long-Term Injured Reserve (LTIR). For now, he remains off the active roster, but with an open spot and $7.6 million still available in their LTIR pool, there will be no issues fitting him back into the lineup when he’s ready.
Last season marked Harvey-Pinard’s first full NHL campaign, though a nagging lower-body injury limited him to just 45 games. He played a bottom-six role, averaging 12:38 of ice time per game, scoring two goals, and adding eight assists for 10 points while taking just 26 shots on goal.
That production was a significant dip from what he achieved after being recalled from Laval midseason in 2022-23. With star winger Cole Caufield sidelined for the season due to shoulder surgery, Harvey-Pinard was given top-six minutes and responded with 14 goals and 20 points in 34 games, tying for fourth on the team in goals by the end of the season.
While injuries likely played a role in his limited production last year, Harvey-Pinard has shown more offensive potential in his career. Over 83 NHL games, the Quebec native has scored 17 goals and recorded 31 points, along with a +3 rating. His solid offensive numbers in Laval further suggest that his long-term potential remains promising, especially considering he was a late-round pick.
Harvey-Pinard is set to become a restricted free agent with arbitration rights next summer after completing the two-year, $2.2 million deal he signed as an RFA in 2023.
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