The Montreal Canadiens resolutely intend to do everything to help their school club reach the American League playoffs. The organization announced this Sunday morning that it had ceded forwards Jesse Ylönen and Rafaël Harvey-Pinard to the Laval Rocket.
Goaltender Cayden Primeau and defender Corey Schueneman also made their way to Île Jésus, which was rather predictable since they had been the subject of emergency recalls the day before.
With three games to go, the Rocket are in the midst of a three-team race for the last available spot in the league’s North Division. Saturday’s win over the Cleveland Monsters, one of his pursuers, gave him a boost to stay in the lead of this run for now. The Monsters, one point behind, however, have one more game to play.
Both Ylönen and Harvey-Pinard spent the whole winter in Montreal. The Finn shuttled from the first line to the fourth line, but the Quebecer consolidated his place as one of the sure values of a decimated team.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Jesse Ylonen
Since joining the Canadiens last January, Harvey-Pinard has amassed 20 points, including 14 goals, in 34 games. He is now the permanent left winger on the first line piloted by Nick Suzuki. Ylönen, in a more subdued role, has found a way to collect 16 points in 37 games since the start of the NHL season, but trails a pesky -11 differential.
Their dismissal in the minors is not a disavowal, but a lifeline for the Rocket, who will face the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins Monday night in Laval. The Habs, for their part, do not play until Wednesday in Long Island.
Then we’ll see what the organization does with the four players affected by Sunday’s trade, as it may well need three of them against the Islanders. Unless goalkeeper Jake Allen and defenseman Jordan Harris quickly return to health, combined with a surprise reappearance from Kirby Dach, we can expect Primeau, Schueneman and a forward to be called up. The presence of Sean Farrell in the entourage of the CH represents the only leeway for head coach Martin St-Louis to juggle with his formation.