Canadiens: Joshua Roy’s Offensive Upside Could Land Him in the Top Six

In an article published by Montreal Hockey Now Friday, Montreal Canadiens prospect Joshua Roy was named the fourth-best prospect in their under-25 ranking.

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In the original article, Marc Dumont spoke on how impressive Roy was once he was promoted to the NHL last campaign, saying:

“From the very get-go, it was clear that Roy wasn’t just treading water in the NHL. He quickly established himself as one of the team’s best forwards, and I’d go as far as suggesting he also eventually established himself as a player that deserves top-six usage…I have no issues proposing Roy not only deserves a roster spot next season, he should also be pencilled in as a favourite to play on the wing of the first or second lines.”

Dumont then backed up his talk by providing impressive figures that Roy put up in five-on-five play. Namely an assists per sixty of 1.19 and a points per sixty of 2.15.

With Rafael Harvey-Pinard missing the first few months of the season recovering from a broken leg, there is an open spot in the depth chart to start the campaign. While it’s fair to assume a more experienced player, such as the newly acquired Alex Barré-Boulet, could Roy turn enough heads at training camp to be awarded the chance to fill it permanently? If so, could a consistent performance, improving off last year’s promotion, merit a second-line role alongside Kirby Dack and Alex Newhook?

Related: Canadiens: Can Dach Get Back on Track?

Roy has come far since the days of being labelled lazy in the 2021 draft. It would be interesting to see how he utilizes Dach’s playmaking and Newhook’s speed to create scoring chances among the trio. Before he’s offered the top-six status, he’ll have to continue the steady upward trajectory he seems to be on.

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