The rumour needs to stop. There’s no smoke, there’s no fire.
Caleb Desnoyers isn’t coming back to Moncton or the QMJHL anytime soon or ever, his time in the QMJHL is all but over.
Granted the Utah Mammoth have the final say, and one of the deepest talent pools in the entire National Hockey League, but all indications right now point to Desnoyers playing in the AHL.
Unfortunately, the unfounded rumour circulating around the Avenir Centre on Saturday night during the Cats home opener will continue to have legs until the last possible second or date that he could possibly return to the Q which is the sad reality of wishful thinking, speculation and junior hockey’s rumour mill.
Desnoyers is more than ready to make the jump to the pro ranks, but that clearly doesn’t mean the hockey crazed Wildcat fans won’t be checking the box scores and his point production speculating a return to the club and league after the World Junior’s if in fact Utah agree to loan him to Team Canada.
Let’s take a look back at the Utah Mammoth’s decision to sign Desnoyers.
They did it approximately two days after the NHL’s decision to grant status for players that were drafted in the 1st round who are 19 years of age to make the jump to the American Hockey League. Now I wonder why they decided to do that. Come on people, Desnoyers is a perfect candidate to play in the American Hockey League this season.
Let’s also consider the fact that Caleb Desnoyers doesn’t have anything else to prove at the junior level and it would be also considered a set back to his developmental path coming back to a league where he dominated.
But, Desnoyers didn’t have a good year last year or he might not be ready for the AHL? Give your head a shake, he was outstanding in all facets while logging extraordinary minutes in every situation imaginable a season ago, and last summer was without a doubt his first summer that he could focus on training and getting stronger in quite sometime.
Sadly, the rumours of a possible return to the Q will continue to surface especially if his point totals don’t live up to the fandom’s perception or expectations which is complete and utter bull shit. A player like Desnoyers is better suited and more than equipped to grind it out in the AHL at 19 and will still put up impressive numbers. This kid has lived up to and surpassed expectations throughout his entire path in the game and his first foray in the pro ranks will be the same.
What about the Wildcats not naming a captain, that has to mean he’s coming back right?
That doesn’t mean one damn thing, ironically that might add even more fuel to the fire of speculation which isn’t fair for the current group of players or Desnoyers. If people remember correctly Gardiner MacDougall held off from naming a captain when he first took over behind the bench so people shouldn’t read anything into that.
Rumours or wishful thinking?
Obviously, fans of the Wildcats would love to see Desnoyers return to play one last time, but also to potentially come back and get dealt for a bounty of players, prospects and picks in order to solidify their chances at building out a juggernaut of a team as a potential Memorial Cup host in 2028, but the chances of that happening are incredibly slim to nil.
A return to the QMJHL doesn’t make sense right now for the player or the organization that drafted him.
Let Caleb Desnoyers start his pro career free from rumour and speculation. Desnoyers gave everything he had and more to the City of the Moncton and the Moncton Wildcats organization, he’s moved on and let’s hope people understand that before they speculate or start rumours online. The rumour needs to stop.
