Rafael Harvey-Pinard

Harvey-Pinard underwent surgery in July to repair a broken leg. His recovery timeline of four months will shelf him for the entirety of training camp and at least the first month of the 2024-25 campaign. In 45 appearances last season, he earned two goals, 10 points, 47 blocked shots and 47 hits. Harvey-Pinard showcased much more potential in 2022-23 when he notched 14 tallies and 20 points in 34 outings, but his 24.1 shooting percentage was unsustainable. However, he didn't give himself much chance to replicate his success by dropping his shots per game from 1.71 to 0.58. Once the 25-year-old forward is ready to return from his leg injury, he could play up and down the lineup again. Harvey-Pinard could be worthy of a waiver pickup during stretches when he heats up offensively.

Harvey-Pinard was able to turn the Canadiens' injury woes into a feel-good story for himself last year. He made his season debut Jan. 17 and only missed two games before a late demotion to AHL Laval near the end of the campaign. In his 34 NHL games, he produced 14 goals and six assists with 58 shots on goal, 57 hits and 56 blocked shots, production that earned him the occasional top-line look. Simply put, Harvey-Pinard will not be shooting 24.1 percent or averaging 17:14 of ice time per game in 2023-24 -- there's no guarantee he even begins the year in the NHL. Ideally, he'd slot into a middle-six role as a power forward with roughly average offense, but fantasy managers would be better off not chasing last year's percentage-driven production.