Even if he only played a total of 52 games for both the Montreal Canadiens and the Laval Rocket during the 2017-18 season, the year could still be described as a positive one for Nikita Scherbak. The Russian averaged better than a point per game for the Rocket (1.15), and displayed flashes of the skill that fans had been waiting on since he was drafted in 2014.
The first-rounder started last year’s training camp expressing his desire to be among the Canadiens’ top-six forwards. Unfortunately for him, a lacklustre camp and a variety of options ahead of him on the wing had him start the season in the American Hockey League with the Laval Rocket.