It took some time before center Joe Veleno got to play his first official game as a member of the Montreal Canadiens. Still, the opportunity came on Saturday night against the New York Rangers after both Kirby Dach and Patrik Laine had to sit a game out because of a lower-body injury.
The Montreal native was clearly intent on making the most of his opportunity, and he did just that, being very effective in his 9:44 of ice time. He didn’t get on the scoresheet, but he did show Martin St-Louis that he was buying into what the coach is selling.
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The forward took two shots, landed three hits, and won one of his only two faceoffs with Owen Beck taking most of the draws for the line (he won five of his seven draws). Veleno did show some offensive talent, stickhandling in the corner and pulling some of the moves we see Ivan Demidov do so often, but not quite at the same speed.
He did get involved in battles by the boards, and while he’s not overly hard to move off the puck, he was still better in puck protection than what Laine has shown since joining the Canadiens. While the big Finn’s level of effort has been there so far this season, it doesn’t come easily to him to play a two-way game, and it looked easier for Veleno to do it, even though he has always been known as more of an offensive player.
While he was once granted exceptional status and got to play in the QMJHL at just 15 years old, he cannot be that guy in the NHL. His skills were head and shoulders above others as a teenager, but they’re not in the best professional league in the world. If he wants to keep playing in the league, he’ll have to embrace his new status fully, and in his only game so far, that’s what he’s done.
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It will be interesting to see if he can keep it up and if St-Louis will keep him in the lineup once Dach and Laine are healthy and ready to get back in the lineup. While both are in the last year of their current contract, the former will be an RFA at the end of the season, while the latter will be a UFA. They need to have a good year and are playing for their future, much like Veleno, who was only signed to a one-year contract by Kent Hughes and will also be an RFA at the end of the season.
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