In five years, Joel Armia has gone from an interesting project to a player placed on the siding.
The Canadian placed Armia, as well as defender Gustav Lindström, on waivers on Sunday.
The other 31 teams have until Monday, 2 p.m., to claim them. If they are ignored, the Habs will then have the option of submitting them to the Laval Rocket.
Armia, 30, has a contract valid for two more seasons, at $3.4 million per year. In two preparatory matches, the colossus winger did not obtain any points, in addition to presenting the worst indicators among the attackers who played more than one match. Last year, he was limited to 14 points (7 goals, 7 assists) in 43 games, averaging 14:56 per game.
If he is transferred to Laval, his salary would count for $2.25 million on the books, even if Armia would receive his full salary. For any player on a one-way NHL contract who is subject to the American League, teams are entitled to a $1.15 million deduction.
In an NHL where many teams are squeezed under the salary cap, the chances of Armia being claimed seem slim. If this is the outcome, Jean-François Houle will not complain, he who experienced such scenarios when he was an assistant coach with the Edmonton Oilers farm club in Bakersfield.
“If we are in favor of having a player of the caliber of the National League, it is just good for Laval,” said the Rocket head coach, after the last preparatory match of the CH farm club, Sunday. “It depends if they’re mentally ready to come down. »
Armia came to Montreal in the summer of 2018 with intriguing potential. Then aged 25, he was stuck with the Winnipeg Jets rather well equipped on the wings, with Kyle Connor, Patrik Laine, Blake Wheeler and Nikolaj Ehlers for the first two lines. The CH’s idea was to exploit the unused potential of a former 1st round pick (16th overall in 2011).
After an average first season, he began his second campaign in Montreal with a bang. On December 23, 2019, CH arrived in Winnipeg and Armia had 21 points, including 12 goals, in 34 games, the pace of a season of 30 goals and 50 points. But in what is a recurring theme in his career, he gets injured, misses nearly a month and loses his way.
Armia also stands out during the 2021 playoffs, as a member of a heavy fourth line with colossi Eric Staal and Corey Perry. In 21 games during these playoffs, he scored 5 goals and 3 assists.
Injuries and disappointments marked the rest of his stay in Montreal. Since his arrival in the metropolis, he has played 259 of CH’s 373 matches, missing 30% of duels.
NHL teams have until Monday, 5 p.m., to reduce their rosters to a maximum of 23 players in preparation for the start of the season. This means that players eligible for waivers and who were not subject to waivers on Sunday will find themselves among this roster of 23 players.
So this is an interesting outcome for Cayden Primeau. Unless Kent Hughes makes a transaction before then, everything indicates that the Habs will start the season with three goalkeepers in their squad, a possibility that Jeff Gorton had mentioned in an interview with La Presse.
Primeau had the best stats among the four Canadiens goalies who played in preseason games, an unexpected outcome given his struggles with his NHL call-ups in recent years.
Cayden Primeau: 2.05 GAA, .932 efficiency in 87 minutes
Jakub Dobeš: average of 2.73, efficiency of .900 in 44 minutes
Jake Allen: 4.02 GAA, .854 efficiency in 89 minutes
Samuel Montembeault: 4.11 average, .845 efficiency in 131 minutes
Is Primeau at this stage of his career? “I think so,” says Houle. He’s been in the American League for three years. At some point you want to go to the next level. You have a one-way contract, so in your head, you don’t see yourself in the American League. Is he ready? Evenings, yes, evenings, no. »
By excluding Armia and Lindström from the lineup, the Habs therefore find themselves with 25 players (14 attackers, 8 defenders, 3 goalkeepers), two too many to reach the maximum of 23.
Eight players still present do not have to be placed on waivers to be transferred to Laval: forwards Rafaël Harvey-Pinard, Juraj Slafkovsky and Emil Heineman, as well as defenders Jordan Harris, Justin Barron, Kaiden Guhle, Arber Xhekaj and Mattias Norlinder.
In theory, Hughes will therefore have to draw from these eight players to balance his squad. A decision that he will announce on Monday, potentially between two mouthfuls of atocas.