At the deadline, the Montreal Canadiens temporarily assigned Joshua Roy and Jayden Struble to the AHL before immediately recalling them, what’s known as a “paper transaction.” A player needs to be on the AHL roster at the NHL trade deadline to be eligible to play in the AHL post-season, and this is a common method to ensure that top prospects playing on NHL teams have that chance when the top team’s season is done. The recalls count toward the four that a team can make after the deadline.
Both players are playing their first full professional seasons, and have outgrown the minor leagues already. Struble has taken up a spot on the Canadiens’ third defence pair, while Joshua Roy is enjoying offensive success on the Habs’ second line.
Roy had played 40 games with Laval, amassing 32 points, before a second, more permanent recall. Struble was a stable defensive presence that the team sorely misses. At the moment, Laval isn’t in a playoff position, but should the team manage to pull that off, Roy and Struble will provide quality reinforcements.
