The Montreal Canadiens made a pair of roster moves Friday morning, sending forward Owen Beck and goaltender Jacob Fowler down to the AHL’s Laval Rocket.
Let’s start with Fowler. The young netminder got the start Thursday night against the Buffalo Sabres but couldn’t come up with the result, taking the loss in a game that likely sealed this decision.
With Jakub Dobeš and Samuel Montembeault both rounding back into form, the Canadiens’ brief three-goalie rotation had run its course. Fowler stepped in when the team needed him, provided a solid presence in net, and now heads back to Laval where he can get consistent starts and continue his development.
And with his first professional All-Star appearance on the horizon in February, there’s plenty to look forward to in his young career.
As for Beck, his reassignment comes after a stretch of inactivity. He hasn’t cracked the lineup since Josh Anderson returned from injury, and with the Canadiens’ forward group getting healthier - Kirby Dach and Patrik Laine have resumed skating - the need to keep Beck in the NHL rotation just wasn’t there anymore. Even though Dach and Laine aren’t quite ready for game action, the Habs are carrying 12 healthy forwards, giving them enough depth to send Beck back to Laval for more meaningful minutes.
The timing makes sense on both moves. Laval plays a back-to-back set this weekend against the Manitoba Moose - Friday night and Saturday afternoon - giving both Beck and Fowler a chance to jump right back into action. Meanwhile, the Canadiens head to Ottawa for a Saturday night matchup with the Senators, looking to keep building momentum as their lineup slowly gets back to full strength.
These are the kinds of moves that don’t make headlines but help shape the season. Beck and Fowler are key pieces of the Canadiens’ future, and getting them the right opportunities at the right time is part of the long game.