The Montreal Canadiens may be focused on a playoff matchup with one of their rivals, but that doesn’t mean the front office isn’t working on the future. Rafael Harvey-Pinard has agreed to terms on a two-year entry-level contract. The deal kicks in next season and carries an average annual value of $825K.
Harvey-Pinard, 22, was the Canadiens’ seventh-round choice in 2019, 201st overall. He spent this season with the Laval Rocket of the AHL on a minor league contract and showed he was more than ready for the challenge of a professional season. In 32 games, the 5’9″ winger registered 19 points and didn’t receive a single penalty minute.
Once a star at the QMJHL level, Harvey-Pinard won the Memorial Cup with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies in 2019, scoring 27 points in 20 playoff games along the way. That kind of offensive dominance will be difficult to reproduce at the professional level, but the Canadiens obviously believed he was worth an NHL contract slot. Had Harvey-Pinard not signed his entry-level deal by the end of the month, he would have become an unrestricted free agent.