Yesterday evening was particularly difficult for Rafaël Harvey-Pinard, as the Laval Rocket suffered a 4-2 defeat against the Belleville Senators at home.
For the first time this season, the team allowed four goals at home, and Harvey-Pinard was one of the most criticized players of the game.
Slow on his skates, hesitant in his decisions, the Quebecer struggled to regain the level of confidence and performance to which he had accustomed fans during his impressive rise with the Canadian two seasons ago.
Pascal Vincent, the Rocket's head coach, confirmed that Harvey-Pinard will accompany the team to Belleville for tomorrow's game, in the hope of seeing him bounce back quickly.
However, the observation is clear:
“It's going to take time for him to get back into shape,” declared Vincent after the meeting.
Since his return from injury, Harvey-Pinard seems to be short of synchronism and dynamism. Although the effort is there, he is no longer the energetic and efficient player who had scored 14 goals in 34 games during his memorable recall in 2023.
Let's be honest. This streak of 14 goals is simply due to the fact that the CH was last in the NHL and that no one was playing for anything this evening and Harvey-Pinard took the opportunity to grease his plumber's record.
But since then, limited by physical problems and prolonged absences, he has only found the back of the net twice…in 45 matches…
“I would have liked to have had a better match,”
“Obviously I can play a lot better than that.”
But the facts are damning: his recurring injuries, particularly to his right leg, have affected his power and speed, crucial elements for a player of his size and style.
He was already very slow on skates. But today, he is simply not moving forward.
With Patrik Laine on the verge of returning to the Canadiens' lineup and players like Lucas Condotta and Emil Heineman shining in the fourth line, the competition up front is fierce.
For now, Harvey-Pinard is in a conditioning stay with the Laval Rocket which ends this week.
Which means he absolutely has to come back to the NHL.
But let's face reality: Harvey-Pinard could well be relegated to waivers if he fails to regain the trust of the organization.
No other NHL team is going to claim him, a sign of an uncertain future in the big league. Who wants a $1.1M guaranteed plumber who has the speed and hands of a veteran in a beer league?
“He needs to regain his confidence and his skating,” added Pascal Vincent.
But will this be enough? Harvey-Pinard knows he's playing big. The final year of his two-year, $2.2 million guaranteed contract is approaching, and he will need to prove he still deserves a spot among the elite.
How do you prove that you're an NHL player when you're so slow, so untalented and your physical problems have finally got the better of your only asset…energy?
Some Quebec analysts, although fervent supporters of the player, are beginning to wonder if his status as a Quebecer has not offered him unjustified preferential treatment.
Maxim Lapierre and Guillaume Latendresse, who campaigned to see him play on the first trio, could well review their judgment if Harvey-Pinard continues to stagnate.
Is it time he showed he really belongs in the NHL? The problem is that he no longer has the luxury of time. His NHL career already seems to be over…before it's really started…
The ground is increasingly slippery for Harvey-Pinard and the young Quebecer is in danger of seeing his NHL career end prematurely.
At 25, Rafaël Harvey-Pinard finds himself at a crossroads in his career. Between the Rocket and a possible permanent demotion to the AHL, he will have to redouble his efforts to come back stronger, regain the energy and confidence that were his trademark.
“I definitely need to work on my skating and my confidence with the puck,” he said.
But time is against him, and the future seems more and more uncertain.
One thing is certain: Harvey-Pinard will have to fight his biggest battle if he wants to avoid 2025 being synonymous with the end of his career in the NHL.
For now, all he can do is pick himself up, start again and prove to his detractors – and to himself – that he deserves another chance. But the road will be long and arduous.
Not to say impossible.
While Rafaël Harvey-Pinard is going through a difficult time, the supporters of the Montreal Canadiens do not seem inclined to grant him the slightest respite.
On social networks, criticism rains down, often harsh and merciless.
One netizen summed up the general opinion by saying:
“Harvey-Pinard is a plumber who was painted gold because of his Quebec passport. He never had the NHL level. It was written in the sky that it was going to plateau. »
Another fan was even crueler:
“It's sad to say, but Harvey-Pinard looks like a garage league veteran on the ice. Slow, clueless, and completely overwhelmed. »
These comments reflect a disillusionment that has set in since his decline this season. Some even criticize him for taking advantage of a favorable context during his rise with the Canadian:
“Yes, he looked good when he played with Suzuki and on the power play, but put him on a line with Pezzetta, and there's the real Harvey-Pinard. »
Rocket fans weren't any kinder after the loss to the Senators. Many have pointed out his lack of speed and his inability to generate offensive chances.
“How do you expect him to find his place with the CH if he’s not even capable of dominating in the AHL? » wrote a spectator present at the match.
This discomfiture of Rafaël Harvey-Pinard only reinforces the doubts about his future in the NHL. Despite his laudable efforts, he struggles to find a balance between his physical play and an offensive contribution.
Even Pascal Vincent, usually more measured in his comments, suggested that his player still had a long way to go to regain his level.
But what impresses us the most are the virulent comments on the web.
“Harvey-Pinard makes the trip to Belleville, but at this rate, he will never play another game in the NHL. He had his chance. »
If the CH has to submit him to waivers, there is a good chance that he will not be claimed. And that is very revealing of his situation. »
Harvey-Pinard himself admitted that he had to work this summer to regain his speed and power, in particular by strengthening his injured leg.
But the problem goes far beyond his physical condition. His confidence, once one of his greatest assets, now seems irreversibly shaken.
The criticism from supporters, journalists and even his teammates in the shadows weighs heavily on his shoulders.
Players like Lucas Condotta and Emil Heineman, less publicized because they are non-Quebecers, but more constant, risk permanently stealing his place.
The competition is fierce, and Harvey-Pinard no longer seems able to live up to expectations.
At 25, Rafaël Harvey-Pinard finds himself in an almost hopeless situation. The NHL, this dream that he briefly touched, today seems to be moving away forever.
If his performance doesn't improve, this season could well be his last under contract in the big league.
Even the supporters who passionately supported him at the start of his journey are now turning away. And this is perhaps the cruelest part of this story: Harvey-Pinard not only lost his place on the ice, he also lost the faith of those who believed in him.
His NHL career is dangerously approaching the end, and barring a miracle, Rafaël Harvey-Pinard risks joining the long list of Quebec players who have never managed to establish themselves in the long term.
The reality is brutal: for Harvey-Pinard, the NHL dream could end as quickly as it began.
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