It didn’t take Joel Armia long to find his way back up to the Montreal Canadiens.
On Saturday morning, the Canadiens announced that they have recalled Armia from Laval Rocket. The 30-year-old has appeared in four AHL games so far this season, scoring an impressive four goals and five points.
In a subsequent move, the Canadiens also announced that forward Filip Mesar has been loaned to the Kitchener Rangers of the OHL. The 19-year-old, who the Habs selected in the first round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, logged two games with Laval this season, registering one assist. He will head back to the OHL and look to improve off of an already impressive 2022-23 campaign in which he managed 17 goals and 51 points in 52 outings.
Many thought that Armia’s time with the Habs could be coming to an end when he was placed on waivers earlier this month. He had spent the previous five seasons in Montreal but had struggled to produce offence in the most recent three. In 2022-23, he suited up for 43 games, scoring seven goals and 14 points.
Armia is currently in the third year of a four-year contract that carries a cap hit of $3.4 million. When at his best, he is a player that can be relied upon for solid secondary scoring, but he hasn’t given the Canadiens enough of that in recent years. Perhaps the wake-up call of being sent to the AHL will prove to be beneficial for the Finnish forward.
It is unclear whether Armia may be in the lineup tonight as the Canadiens get set to take on the Washington Capitals. They have been just okay so far to begin the season, as they have put together a record of 1-1-1 through their first three outings. They’ll be going up against a Capitals team with a slightly worse 1-2-0 record on the season. Puck drop for these two teams is set for 7:00 pm ET.
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