Alex Barré-Boulet vs. Joshua Roy: the battle is on

Dans les Coulisses
Crédit: MONTREAL, CANADA - MARCH 12: Joshua Roy #89 of the Montreal Canadiens celebrates his goal with the bench during the first period of the NHL regular season game against the Columbus Blue Jackets at the Bell Centre on March 12, 2024 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Arianne Bergeron/NHLI via Getty Images)

Right now, there’s a lot of talk about the battle for a roster spot on defense with the Montreal Canadiens, and rightly so, considering that there are opportunities to be seized with the injuries to Kaiden Guhle and Justin Barron.

By the way, Arber Xhekaj had better get up quickly if he wants to keep a place in the line-up, because Kaiden Guhle has started skating again, as has Justin Barron.

And on the forward front, well, let’s not forget that Juraj Slafkovsky is injured, so there’s also an internal battle going on.

As a result, the Habs currently have exactly 12 healthy forwards, allowing Michael Pezzetta to play his first minutes of the season.

And if the logic of things and the Habs’ bad luck in recent years are anything to go by, another forward could well get injured.

So, the recall of a Laval Rocket forward could come much sooner than we think.

And in this case, it’s clearly between two Québécois, Alex Barré-Boulet (five points in three games) and Joshua Roy (four points in five games), who are currently dominating in Laval.

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The two Québécois were excellent once again last night, earning a point each in another Laval Rocket victory, this time 4-3 over the Utica Comets.

In short, both forwards are performing well, and so, in the event of a recall, it really comes down to these two.

And that’s where it will be interesting to see what the Canadiens’ decision will be.

Will they choose to leave Roy in the AHL and rely on the experience of Barré-Boulet, or will they prefer to bring Roy’s undeniable forward talent to Montreal to help the Habs’ attack?

The question also arises as to how much the off-ice factor will play into the Habs management’s decision.

Joshua Roy doesn’t have the best reputation off the ice, and let’s just say that his absence without giving any news at a signing session probably doesn’t help his cause.

It’ll be interesting to see how the Canadiens decide whether to recall a forward.

If it’s just to be the club’s 13ᵉ forward on an overseas trip, Barré-Boulet will be the choice, but if it’s for a roster spot, there’s definitely room for debate between the two Québécois.

And let’s not rule out the possibility of the Habs recalling Brandon Gignac or Lucas Condotta, given that the Rocket are on fire at the start of the season with their 4-1-0 record, and that recalling Roy or Barré-Boulet would clearly put the brakes on this hellish pace.

In short, all this remains to be seen.

Overtime

– It goes without saying.

– Logical.

– Let’s hope so. I predict he’ll hit the 40-goal plateau this season.

– Comical.

– Jarry really is capable of the best and the worst.

– Things are hopping in French hockey!