A year ago, Joshua Roy and Logan Mailloux were disappointed to learn that the Montreal Canadiens management was selling them to the Laval Rocket after training camp. The scenario repeated itself in 2024, but it was clear Tuesday that this outcome was much harder to take for these two players who, last year and to varying degrees, got a taste of the National Hockey League.

About 24 hours after their demotion to the Tricolore’s farm club in the American League, the two young and talented hockey players took turns expressing their feelings in a rather monotonous tone which, like their physiognomy, did nothing to hide their disappointment.

Between Mailloux and Roy, the Quebecer seemed to be the one who had recovered the best during his press scrum with journalists, not far from the team’s locker room at Place Bell.

“I would say it was more yesterday (Monday). It was a hard pill to swallow. But this morning, it’s a new start. Now, it’s about working on myself, working on my game. My goal is to get back to the top,” said Roy, who played 23 games with the Habs last year and scored nine points including four goals.

“Certainly, having played games (in the NHL) last year, I had high expectations. But I’m going to work and it will come back,” he added, when asked if he believed he had earned a position with the Habs during training camp.
For his part, Mailloux still seemed stunned by the decision of the Canadian staff to the point where he could not say whether he had been surprised or not.

“I don’t know. I wasn’t happy, obviously. You don’t like being demoted. Surprised or not, I’m not too sure, to be honest,” reacted Mailloux, who played only one game with the Canadiens last season.

“I never thought my job [with the Canadiens] was 100% secure, but that was definitely my goal. I felt like I did well. But I won’t dwell on that too much. It’s in the past, and I’m looking forward to the big weekend ahead,” continued the defenseman, referring to the Rocket’s first two games, Friday and Saturday in Providence and Springfield.

In their assessment of their respective performances during training camp and their analysis of the work to be done to deserve a recall, Roy and Mailloux both spoke of consistency.

“In some games I was good, in others I wasn’t at my best,” Mailloux admitted. “I have to offer this consistency in every game.”

“Every time I’m on the ice, I have to go full throttle,” said Roy, who also focused on his offensive performance during the preseason games.

“My style of play is to create, offensively. I find that I didn’t have the puck touches. It’s about working on that. To be in the NHL, you have to have a really NHL game. I have to work on certain points to, one day, have an NHL game.”

Internal support
While the disappointment Roy and Mailloux felt Tuesday was palpable, it is also understandable, according to forward Brandon Gignac and head coach Pascal Vincent. Also, both men, in their respective positions, will be there to boost them.

“It’s definitely good for us, but it’s very ‘flat’ for them. These are two guys who have so much talent. We’re going to try to help them get back as quickly as possible because they’re two very good people too,” Gignac said.

For his part, Vincent met with the players who were released on Monday evening — goaltender Jakub Dobes and defenseman Adam Engström were also assigned to the Rocket — and he saw young men with positive attitudes.

“Obviously, the guys are always a little disappointed. The goal is to play in the National League. But the attitude was excellent,” described the new Rocket head coach.

“We met with them and said, ‘You have the day to be disappointed, but tomorrow (Tuesday), you show up at the rink, I want you to have a good attitude.’ They were excellent today.”

The extent of the disappointment can vary from one player to another, Vincent also mentioned.

“The guys have spent a lot of time up there. They see themselves up there, and if it were any different, I wouldn’t understand. For some, the switch turns quickly. For others, it takes a little longer. So, it’s going to be up to us to see how long it takes.”

Also, Vincent believes that the disappointment that players like Roy and Mailloux can experience is legitimate.

“They have a right to be disappointed. They have a right to experience that feeling. For most of them, this is one of the first times they’ve been cut off in their lives. It’s okay to be disappointed. But it can’t drag on too long.”