The Montreal Canadiens have a new top line.
After it was revealed that forward Kirby Dach will be out indefinitely due to a lower-body injury he suffered in Saturday’s home opener, the Canadiens’ lineup has undergone some changes.
While Josh Anderson started the first two games of the season as the third member of the top trio alongside Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, he will join Alex Newhook and Juraj Slafkovsky for Tuesday’s game against Minnesota.
Meanwhile, Rafaël Harvey-Pinard has been promoted to take his spot.
The former seventh-round draft pick, who earned a full-time roster spot with the Habs at the end of last year, confirmed the change on Monday, calling the move up a “good opportunity.”
“Yes, it’s certain that I’m going to have more opportunities with having more ice time. It’s a good opportunity that I should seize,” Harvey-Pinard told reporters at the CN Sports Complex. “I have to find a way to play with those players… and contribute to the success of the team.”
Despite the new role, Harvey-Pinard emphasized that his style of play will not change.
“It doesn’t matter whether I play on the first or fourth line, I always have to keep the same identity and play the same way,” he said.
According to head coach Martin St. Louis, the full extent of Dach’s lower-body injury is not yet known, which means he could be out for the long term.
That gives Harvey-Pinard, who received plenty of big minutes during last year’s injury-riddled season, the chance to once again rise to the occasion.
So far, he’s done that, logging two assists over the first two games of the 2023-24 season.
Last season, the Jonquière, Saguenay native tallied 14 goals and 20 points in just 34 games with the Canadiens. Prior to his call-up, Harvey-Pinard played 40 games with the Laval Rocket in the AHL, scoring 31 points.
Over the offseason, the 24-year-old signed a contract extension with Montreal spanning across the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons. His new deal sees him earning an average salary of $1.1 million per year.
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