The Montreal Canadiens have bad news to announce today as Rafael Harvey-Pinard has a broken leg and required surgery to the injury. His surgery was successful and took place yesterday. Furthermore, the news release goes on to say that his expected recovery time is around four months’ time. Therefore, it is likely that Harvey-Pinard will miss some hockey in the fall due to the injury.
The Montreal Canadiens Forward Rafael Harvey-Pinard Has a Leg Injury that Required Surgery
L’attaquant Rafaël Harvey-Pinard a subi jeudi une intervention chirurgicale à la suite d’une fracture à une jambe. La période de convalescence prévue pour l'ailier de 25 ans est d’une durée de quatre mois.
Forward Rafaël Harvey-Pinard underwent successful surgery on Thursday… pic.twitter.com/3MdlacZbks
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) July 26, 2024
Rafael Harvey-Pinard endured a difficult sophomore NHL season in 2023-24 with the Montreal Canadiens. He had a couple big injuries, and only suited up for 45 games. He was unable to reproduce a successful 2022-23 rookie campaign. That year he split time between the AHL’s Laval Rocket and the big club in Montreal. With Laval, he had 31 points in 40 games, to earn his callup to the show. Moreover, when he played with Montreal, he was on somewhat of a hot streak. In 34 games, he scored 14 goals.
What Does it Mean for Player and Team?
The one positive for Harvey-Pinard in 2023-24, is that when he played hockey, it was with only Montreal. So, observers would think his spot in Montreal is his for when he returns from this injury. The downside to his season, was his lack of consistent production. In 45 games, he managed just two goals and eight assists for ten points. Definitely not the type of season you want to follow up a decent rookie season with. His ice time was also way down, year-over-year. In 2022-23 it was 17:14 a game and that dropped to 12:38 in 2023-24. Now, you could possibly explain it with his injuries, and not being so consistent, forced him to play down in the lineup.
Overall, the Canadiens brass led by Head Coach Martin St. Louis and General Manager Kent Hughes will find Harvey-Pinard his role with the club once he comes back healthy, rested, and stronger. Sometimes bigger injuries like this, allow a player to refocus, and come back better than before. In seems that the organization will be willing to give the player that opportunity. It further helps that Montreal continues to build their team, so the pressure of high expectations is something most of the team can avoid for 2024-25. Some of their star players and leaders like Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield will not have that luxury, but as a group, they still have time to develop.
Main photo credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
