The Canadiens bring back their youth, as they have re-signed forward Rafael Harvey-Pinard to a two-year, $2.2 million-dollar deal. This contract has an average cap hit of $1.1 million per season.
Harvey-Pinard signs in Montreal on a two year deal worth $1.1 million AAV. pic.twitter.com/daok4fPLDF
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) July 3, 2023
Canadiens Re-sign Rafael Harvey-Pinard
Rafael Harvey-Pinard has had a great professional hockey career so far. After winning the memorial cup with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, Harvey-Pinard has had an immediate impact on both the Laval Rocket and the Montreal Canadiens.
In the 2020-2021 season, Harvey-Pinard put up 20 points in 36 games. He followed that up with 56 points in 69 games with Laval. In his first true season with Montreal this past season, Harvey-Pinard notched 20 points in 34 games, being one of the better forwards on an injury-riddled Canadiens team.
Harvey-Pinard spent half of last year with Laval, putting up 31 points in 40 games.
What This Means
For Montreal, this is a fantastic move keeping him around. Harvey-Pinard has blossomed into one of the best depth forwards on the Canadiens, and has shown he can lead a team offensively, taking the charge after Montreal lost most of their forward talent to injury.
As the Canadiens look to improve, keeping Harvey-Pinard around would be a wise choice. he is only 24 years old and was at 20 points in only 30 games. Given a full 82-game season, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him produce in the ballpark of 40-50 points a year.
Because the Canadiens were in a league of their own this year, it gave Harvey-Pinard some much-needed on-ice experience without the added pressure of the team being good while you’re trying to develop and grow as a young player- the problem which has plagued a lot of Canadiens-developed talents.
Overall, this is a relationship that is expected to continue for a long time. Rafael Harvey-Pinard is a solid young player. He should be a great part of the new-age Canadiens. This will hopefully have a lot of success for years to come.
Main photo by: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports
