Three Potential Suitors to Claim Rafael Harvey-Pinard After Being Placed on Waivers

The Montreal Canadiens surprised the NHL world this afternoon as they decided to place 25-year-old forward Rafael Harvey-Pinard on waivers.

The Canadiens made this move as part of their continuing rebuild as they try and give other players an opportunity to separate themselves at the NHL level.

With that said Rafael Harvey-Pinard is an intriguing young player who could potentially gain interest from other teams.

During his NHL stints, Rafael Harvey-Pinard has struggled offensively in the limited minutes he was given by the Canadiens.

However, in the AHL with significant minutes Rafael Harvey-Pinard was an offensive powerhouse over the last couple of seasons.

With the potential that Rafael Harvey-Pinard possesses several teams have now been linked to a potential waiver claim to give him another NHL opportunity.

With Rafael Harvey-Pinard up for grabs to any of the 32 teams in the NHL lets look at some places he might fit in best.

First up is the New York Islanders who have dealt with a ton of injuries and are looking to stabilize their forward group.

Beyond needing reinforcements to fill in for injured players the Islanders are one of the older teams in the NHL and could use a cheap infusion of youth into the NHL lineup.

While Rafael Harvey-Pinard's style of game doesn't necessarily mesh perfectly with the Islanders' style he could still make things work with enough opportunity.

Next up is the New Jersey Devils who are a team thriving on the success of their youth throughout the lineup.

With that said the Devils lack depth on their third and fourth lines and Rafael Harvey-Pinard's willingness to play in those roles along with his age being within the Devils' sweet spot could make this a great fit.

Finally the Ottawa Senators feel like a team who could be a natural fit to add Rafael Harvey-Pinard.

The Senators are yet another young group looking to take the next steps towards being a playoff contender in the Eastern Conference.

With the Senators being just 4 points out of a playoff spot one of their biggest weaknesses has been their wingers up front.

With the need not only for bottom-six wingers but also help in a potential top-six role this situation would be the best for Rafael Harvey-Pinard to get a chance to stick in the NHL.

Ultimately Rafael Harvey-Pinard is a skill player who does best when being put in offensive roles and the Senators likely have the most opportunities to provide that for him.

Over the next 24 hours it will be interesting to see how much interest there is in Rafael Harvey-Pinard and whether or not he ends up being claimed.