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Rafael Harvey-Pinard

Penguins Sign Rafael Harvey-Pinard To Two-Way Contract

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The Penguins have signed free agent winger Rafael Harvey-Pinard to a two-way contract, the team confirmed in a press release. They also officially finalized previously reported contracts for Anthony Mantha and Philip Kemp. Harvey-Pinard will earn $775K in the NHL and $450K in the AHL with a $525K guarantee, per PuckPedia.

Harvey-Pinard first popped up on the NHL radar as an overage selection out of QMJHL Rouyn-Noranda, going to the Canadiens in the seventh round of the 2019 draft. He turned pro with the Laval Rocket, Montreal’s AHL affiliate, in 2020-21 before making his NHL debut the following season on a four-game call-up.

After producing well in Laval to begin his pro career, Harvey-Pinard got an extended NHL look later in the 2022-23 campaign after Cole Caufield went down with a shoulder injury. He got reps in top-six duties alongside Nick Suzuki and produced quite well, scoring 14 goals and six assists for 20 points in 34 games.

Injuries have since derailed the 26-year-old’s career, and he never found that spark again. Last season, he wasn’t cleared to play until late November after sustaining a broken leg during the offseason and cleared waivers upon his return. In addition to only getting one NHL appearance in 2024-25, his minor-league production was also dreadful. After consistently producing around a 0.80 points per game clip earlier in his career with Laval, he had just five goals and 14 assists for 19 points in 40 games for them last year.

The 5’9″ winger will now try to jumpstart his production in the Penguins organization. It’s a no-risk signing for Pittsburgh, who might even have a spot on their opening night roster for Harvey-Pinard if he impresses in camp, if they shop forwards like Noel Acciari, Kevin Hayes, and Danton Heinen this summer as speculated. He likely wraps up Pittsburgh’s depth signings with 46 out of a possible 50 contracts now on the books for this season.

Image courtesy of Sergei Belski-Imagn Images.

Canadiens Reassign Rafaël Harvey-Pinard

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The Canadiens loaned winger Rafaël Harvey-Pinard to AHL Laval on Friday, according to a team announcement. They now have a pair of open roster spots, with PuckPedia reflecting that Emil Heineman was also transferred to injured reserve earlier in the week.

Harvey-Pinard, 26, made his season debut in Thursday’s shutout loss to the Wild. He posted zeroes across the board in 8:54 of ice time, recording one hit. Montreal was outshot 4-2 with him on the ice at even strength.

It was a quiet showing amid a quiet season for the 5’9″ winger. A broken leg sustained during offseason training kept him out of training camp and on the shelf until mid-November, when the Canadiens assigned him to the minors on a long-term injury conditioning loan. They opted not to reinstate him to the active roster when his loan was up and instead placed him on waivers to keep him in Laval long-term. That was a semi-risky move, considering he’s on an expiring contract at an affordable $1.1MM cap hit and had 14 goals and 20 points in only 34 games two seasons ago, but there were no takers on the wire.

Thirty-one other NHL teams made the right call. Harvey-Pinard has struggled since his late start to the season, scoring only four goals and seven assists for 11 points in 24 games with Laval. He’s on pace for easily the worst offensive showing of his five-year professional career, especially after he logged 31 points in 40 games in his last extended AHL stint in 2022-23.

The Habs recalled Harvey-Pinard last weekend as the Habs wanted an extra forward with Heineman on the shelf, but he sat twice as a healthy scratch before entering the lineup. His lack of NHL usage and disappointing minor-league play this season makes it unlikely that he’ll receive his $1MM qualifying offer from Montreal at the end of the season, making him an unrestricted free agent.

Heineman’s IR placement does not affect his return timeline. He hasn’t played since sustaining an upper-body injury as a pedestrian in a traffic action on Jan. 13 while the team was in Utah and is expected to remain out of the lineup for around another week.

Canadiens Recall Rafael Harvey-Pinard

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Montreal has added some extra forward depth in advance of their game tonight against New Jersey.  The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled winger Rafael Harvey-Pinard from AHL Laval.

The 26-year-old started the season on injured reserve, missing the first 22 games with a leg injury.  Following a conditioning stint with the Rocket, he then cleared waivers at the beginning of December and has been with them ever since.  Harvey-Pinard has played in 24 games with Laval this season, recording four goals and seven assists.

Harvey-Pinard has seen extensive NHL time in the last two years.  In 2022-23, he impressed as a midseason recall, ultimately collecting 14 goals and six assists in 34 games.  That helped earn him a two-year, $2.2MM contract in the 2023 offseason.  But things didn’t go as well for him last year as he was limited to just two goals and eight helpers in 45 appearances while also missing time due to injuries.

Montreal hasn’t had much success filling Emil Heineman’s spot on the fourth line since he was struck by a car in Utah last week.  Veteran Michael Pezzetta has been given several looks but has failed to clear five minutes of playing time in any of his last seven games.  Prospect Owen Beck received a two-game look but has since been returned to the minors and now it appears Harvey-Pinard will get a chance to reclaim his spot from last season on that line.

With the recall, Montreal’s active roster is now full.  Jayden Struble remains on the roster while on a conditioning loan to Laval while despite Heineman’s injury, they’ve elected not to place him on injured reserve just yet.

Canadiens Place Rafaël Harvey-Pinard On Waivers

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12/1: Harvey-Pinard has cleared waivers and been assigned to the AHL’s Laval Rocket.

11/30: According to a team announcement, the Montreal Canadiens are ready to activate forward Rafaël Harvey-Pinard from the long-term injured reserve. Harvey-Pinard won’t return to the Canadiens once his LTIR conditioning loan concludes as the organization shared they’ve placed him on waivers.

It’s been a long road to recovery for Harvey-Pinard after undergoing surgery in late July to repair a broken leg. He’s been on the shelf ever since with his last game in Montreal coming on the final game of the 2023-24 regular season.

His offensive output depressed last season going from scoring 20 points in 34 contests during the 2022-23 season to scoring 10 points in 45 games last year. His recent conditioning stint in Laval didn’t do much to inspire confidence as Harvey-Pinard only managed one goal in five games with a -4 rating.

He’ll get an extended look in the AHL should he clear waivers by tomorrow afternoon. It’s been two years since Harvey-Pinard spent significant time with the AHL Rocket scoring 16 goals and 31 points in 40 games during the 2022-23 AHL season. Montreal will also eliminate $1.1MM from their LTIR pool no matter what happens with Harvey-Pinard.

The Canadiens will have a home for Harvey-Pinard should he recover his confidence in the AHL. Montreal is 21st in the league in scoring with a number of their goals coming from the combination of Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield. The organization hopes that Harvey-Pinard will regain his offensive capabilities in the AHL to re-capture a consistent role in the team’s middle six.

Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports was the first to report that Montreal had placed Harvey-Pinard on waivers. 

Canadiens Assign Rafaël Harvey-Pinard On LTIR Conditioning Loan

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The Canadiens reassigned winger Rafaël Harvey-Pinard to AHL Laval on a long-term injury conditioning loan on Tuesday, per a team announcement.

Harvey-Pinard, 25, has missed the entire season after sustaining a broken leg during offseason training in late July. He was given a five-month return timeline, so being close to ready for game action is no surprise.

The 5’9″ left-winger started skating at the end of October and has been taking contact in practice for around a week. Eric Engels of Sportsnet reported Saturday that the 2019 seventh-round pick was close to a return.

He can spend up to two weeks in Laval before the Habs must decide whether he’s healed enough to return to NHL action and activate him from LTIR. He remains off the active roster for now, but with an open spot and $7.6MM remaining in their LTIR pool, there will be no issue fitting him back on the roster when he’s ready to return.

Last season was Harvey-Pinard’s first as a full-time NHLer, although a nagging lower-body injury limited him to 45 games. He skated squarely in a bottom-six role, averaging 12:38 per night and scoring two goals and eight assists for 10 points with only 26 shots on goal.

That was a far cry from the numbers RHP put up after being recalled from Laval midway through the 2022-23 campaign. The diminutive winger got a shot at top-six minutes with star sniper Cole Caufield undergoing season-ending right shoulder surgery, and he responded with 14 goals and 20 points in 34 games, tying for fourth on the team in goals by season’s end.

Harvey-Pinard’s injuries were likely one of many factors that limited his production last year. In 83 career NHL appearances, the Quebec native has 17 goals and 31 points with a +3 rating. That’s likely more indicative of his long-term ceiling, given his strong offensive numbers with Laval, which would be a spectacular result for such a late-round pick.

Harvey-Pinard will be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights next summer after completing the two-year, $2.2MM deal he signed as an RFA in 2023.

Atlantic Notes: Maple Leafs, Luongo, Harvey-Pinard, Kastelic, Johnson, Mermis

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have been without captain Auston Matthews for almost two weeks with a lower-body injury. Sportsnet’s Luke Fox argued that Matthews’ prolonged absence has opened some eyes in Toronto regarding the team’s center depth.

Toronto essentially moved every center up a line with John Tavares and Max Domi manning the top two lines. Fox believes that the Maple Leafs must upgrade their third line, which has usually been centered by Domi this season. He’s only managed six assists in 18 games this season and hasn’t scored a goal in the regular since April 6th, 2024.

If general manager Brad Treliving concurs with the assessment the team will have some options available for trade. Fox lists Brock Nelson, Mikael Granlund, Frank Vatrano, Nick Bjugstad, and Jake Evans as the likeliest options for the Maple Leafs to pursue with the former being undeniably the best option.

Other Atlantic notes:

  • Earlier this week, Hall-of-Fame netminder Roberto Luongo met for an interview with former players Ryan Whitney and Paul Bissonnette on the Spittin Chiclets podcast. In the interview, Luongo revealed that shortly after being acquired by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2006 offseason the Detroit Red Wings offered Luongo an offer sheet which would have been more than his eventual four-year, $27MM deal with the Canucks. The organization pivoted to veteran netminder Dominik Hasek who would help them capture their 11th Stanley Cup title a year later after being rejected by Luongo.
  • Eric Engels of Sportsnet reported that Montreal Canadiens forward Rafael Harvey-Pinard won’t return tonight but is close. Harvey-Pinard is continuing to recover from a broken leg that has put his start to the 2024-25 NHL season on pause. He hasn’t played meaningful hockey since last season scoring two goals and 10 points in 45 games for Montreal.
  • Boston Bruins forward Mark Kastelic left the team’s overtime loss against the St. Louis Blues today after skating in 5:18 of the action. Conor Ryan of the Boston Globe shared that Kastelic is expected to miss the next few days with a lower-body injury. Thankfully for Kastelic and the Bruins, the team doesn’t play again until their contest against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday night meaning Kastelic could be an option.
  • One member of the Bruins organization who didn’t see any ice time this afternoon was veteran forward Tyler Johnson. Before puck drop, the team announced Johnson was out due to ’family reasons’ but would return to practice tomorrow. Johnson has gone scoreless in four games in Boston after signing a one-year contract with the organization two weeks ago.
  • Moving back to Toronto, defenseman Dakota Mermis skated this morning before practice according to David Alter of The Hockey News. Mermis, who has been on the team’s LTIR while recovering from jaw surgery, signed a one-year, $775K contract with the Maple Leafs this past offseason.

Atlantic Notes: Hage, Harvey-Pinard, Bennett

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Montreal Canadiens center prospect Michael Hage has quietly shown the world why the Habs made him a first-round pick (21st overall) in this year’s NHL Entry Draft (as per Marco D’Amico of Responsible Gambler).  The 18-year-old has been putting together a stellar season in the NCAA as a member of the Michigan Wolverines and praised his coaching staff and teammates for his seamless move into the NCAA from the USHL.

Hage has five goals and four assists in his first nine games of the season and has a plus/minus of +6. His nine points are good enough to lead the Wolverines in scoring.

In other Atlantic Division notes:

  • Canadiens forward Rafael Harvey-Pinard sported a regular jersey at team practice today as he tries to work his way back into Montreal’s lineup (as per Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports). The 25-year-old had surgery in July to repair a broken leg that he suffered during a summer scrimmage. The original prognosis was that Harvey-Pinard would need four months to recover and given that he is skating in a regular sweater, he looks to be on schedule. The Saguenay, Quebec native dressed in 45 games last season for the Canadiens and struggled offensively with just two goals and eight assists.
  • Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett reportedly feels better today after he was scratched with an upper-body injury last night (as per Panthers’ content manager Jameson Olive). The news came from Panthers head coach Paul Maurice who was cautiously optimistic, adding that the team would look to see how Bennett looks tomorrow morning before making a call on his status going forward. Bennett is second in team scoring this season with nine goals and six assists in 15 games. The 28-year-old will be eager to get back onto the ice as he is less than eight months away from hitting the open market as an unrestricted free agent.

Atlantic Notes: Nosek, Gaudette, Ostapchuk, Harvey-Pinard

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All signs point to Panthers center Tomáš Nosek coming off long-term injured reserve tomorrow. The team will activate him prior to their Global Series matchup against the Stars in Finland “assuming he gets through the morning skate and feels good,” head coach Paul Maurice told reporters, including the team’s Jameson Olive.

It’s the expected outcome for Nosek. Maurice said earlier this month that the team had circled the overseas contests as his likely return date. The 32-year-old has not yet played in the regular season after sustaining an upper-body injury at the beginning of training camp. He was ruled week-to-week at the beginning of the season, an inauspicious start for a player who managed only 36 appearances last season due to injuries.

The Panthers must open up a roster spot to take Nosek off LTIR. That will likely mean assigning one of their waiver-exempt forwards, Patrick Giles or Mackie Samoskevich, to AHL Charlotte. It will likely be the former, who’s been serving as Florida’s fourth-line center in the early going but has yet to record a point and has gotten caved in at even strength. Tomorrow will mark the Czechia native’s Panthers debut after signing a one-year, league-minimum contract with the club this offseason.

There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

  • Another day, another paper transaction for the Senators. Forwards Adam Gaudette and Zack Ostapchuk are back up with the team today after being sent down to bank cap space yesterday, the team announced. They’ll both be in the lineup tomorrow against the Rangers, with David Perron and Shane Pinto still unavailable.
  • Canadiens winger Rafaël Harvey-Pinard continues to inch closer to a return after undergoing offseason surgery to repair a broken leg. He’s practicing again today in a non-contact jersey and has traveled with the team on their two-game road swing, per Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports. He’s eligible to come off long-term injured reserve at any time. If he does so in the next few days, it’ll be weeks ahead of schedule. He was given a four-month recovery timeline for his late July surgery, which would have put his estimated return around U.S. Thanksgiving. The Habs have an open roster spot and would not need to make a corresponding transaction to activate him.

Canadiens Notes: Guhle, Slafkovsky, Harvey-Pinard

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Montreal Canadiens defenseman Kaiden Guhle was a full participant in today’s morning skate as he donned a regular jersey (as per Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports). Guhle was officially placed on injured reserve two days ago, but the 22-year-old has been out of the lineup since October 17th with an upper-body injury. Guhle is eligible to come off of IR at any time.

Guhle started the season well offensively, posting four points and a +4 rating in his first five games. The start was a bit of a surprise given that he missed almost all of the Canadiens training camp due to his recovery from appendectomy surgery. However, despite his impressive offensive numbers, Guhle had some major struggles away from the puck and was buoyed by a 113.2 PDO (as per Hockey Reference).

In other Montreal Canadiens notes:

  • Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovsky has dressed tonight after he declared himself pain-free and ready to play (as per Kenzie Lalonde of TSN). Slafkovsky clarified to the media that the issue plaguing him was in fact, not a shoulder injury but was a different issue that he called a “weird injury.” The 20-year-old missed three games with an upper-body injury and slotted in tonight on the second line alongside Alex Newhook and Joel Armia. The 2022 first-overall pick has had a strong start to the season with a goal and five assists in his first six games.
  • Montreal forward Rafael Harvey-Pinard practiced today for the first time since having surgery in July to repair a broken leg (as per Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports). The 25-year-old was wearing a non-contact jersey as he took to the ice with his teammates, Harvey-Pinard was originally ruled out until late November but could return to the lineup sooner than that, depending on the next few weeks of practice. Harvey-Pinard had a disappointing 2023-24, posting just two goals and eight assists in 45 games.

Canadiens’ Rafaël Harvey-Pinard Undergoes Leg Surgery

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Canadiens winger Rafaël Harvey-Pinard underwent successful surgery yesterday to repair a broken leg, the team announced. He’s expected to miss four months, putting his return to action around American Thanksgiving.

It’s tough news for Harvey-Pinard, who was already coming off an injury-plagued 2023-24 campaign. Various lower-body injuries limited him to 45 appearances, posting just two goals, eight assists, 10 points, and a -2 rating while taking only 26 shots on goal and averaging 12:38 per game. That was a massive step back from his 2022-23 showing when he erupted for 14 goals and 20 points in 34 games after a midseason call-up from AHL Laval.

The 25-year-old was a seventh-round pick of the Habs back in 2019 and has spent the five years since working his way up the organizational ladder. The 5’9″, 183-lb winger has always been a good scoring threat, averaging 1.06 points per game across five seasons in juniors in the QMJHL. He also put up an average of 0.74 points per game in three years to date with Laval, leading them in scoring back in 2021-22 with 56 points in 69 games.

Montreal’s depth chart at left wing is full of question marks entering the season behind 2022 first-overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky, who will reprise his first-line role alongside Cole Caufield and captain Nick Suzuki. But behind that, there was an opportunity for Harvey-Pinard to climb as far up as a second-line role on opening night with a strong preseason and training camp performance, competing with players like UFA signing Alex Barré-Boulet and veteran Brendan Gallagher. He’ll now have to work his way back into an everyday role upon returning from injury in late November.

Since he’s projected to miss more than 10 games and 24 days to open the season, Harvey-Pinard is a candidate to land on long-term injured reserve. His absence should mean more early playing time for those like enforcer Michael Pezzetta, and it indicates prospects such as Owen Beck, Filip Mesar and Joshua Roy should have a greater chance at making the opening night roster.

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