Laval Rocket's Brandon Gignac hopes to salvage lost season with long playoff run
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Brandon Gignac said there were times this season when he wondered whether he would play again after suffering another knee injury that was slow to heal.
That the Laval Rocket veteran winger has returned for what he hopes will be an extended AHL playoff run means he might yet be able to salvage something from his season of despair. And considering Gignac's on an expiring contract and eligible to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, the timing couldn't be better.
'I was getting bad mentally because I didn't know what was going to happen. It was a big battle,' Gignac, 27, said recently while revealing, not for the first time in his career, he consulted a sports psychologist to help him through the anxiety. 'That was the reason I wanted to see someone. You never know what's going to happen in sports.'
Gignac injured his left knee in the first period of a Nov. 22 game against Belleville while driving to the net. While he finished the game, Gignac didn't play again until Dec. 27, but departed after the second period because the knee still didn't feel right.
He said it was disconcerting that team physicians couldn't precisely diagnose the problem. And it was the third injury to the same knee since 2017, when the Repentigny native tore the anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments.
Gignac, selected in the third round (80th overall) by New Jersey in 2016, understood there are only so many knee injuries a professional athlete can endure over a career.
'For sure (injuries) are part of the sport,' said the 5-foot-11, 195-pounder, who played seven games with the Canadiens in 2023-24, scoring once. 'As long as I feel good to continue, I'm good to go mentally, but it was annoying. It might happen again. It might not. You never know. You might get injured three years in a row, and you might not get injured for the next 10 years. It's a high-paced sport with lots of contact.'
Gignac had unbridled optimism heading into this season, and with good reason. A year ago, playing on a team that failed to make the playoffs, he was the leading scorer, with 19 goals and 55 points in 61 games. With a new head coach, Pascal Vincent, and surrounded by more talent on what remains a young team, the reliable Gignac believed he had a higher ceiling.
But he was limited to 15 games, two goals and six points. He didn't return until April 30, when the Rocket launched its post-season, and has played in three of Laval's four games, teamed with Oliver Kapanen and Joshua Roy. Gignac has one assist, but knows he'll be counted on heavily when the Rocket meets the Americans in the best-of-five North Division final that begins Wednesday in Rochester (7 p.m., RDS).
'His story is amazing,' Vincent said. 'It was a hard year for him. He's an assistant captain and it's the last year of his contract. He wants to do well, and then he gets injured. He tries to come back, but it doesn't work. For him to just stick to it and find a way to come back in the playoffs, we're really excited about that. It's good for him and his future.
'He can play on the penalty kill. He can play on the power play. He can produce and he's got speed. He can play centre, but is on the wing now. We can use him in so many ways. It's a huge bonus having a guy like that.'
Laval finished first overall in the AHL this season. While the Rocket was 6-1-1 against Rochester, two games went into overtime and two others were decided by a goal.
'We have a really short memory,' Gignac said. 'Some teams I've been on in the past, as soon as there's one or two losses in a row, we get into our head. Here, it's different. I feel like our character is different. Our confidence, too. We know we can do it. We know we're good. That's the main strength.'
During Monday's practice at Place Bell, there were no apparent lineup changes before Tuesday's departure for Rochester. Vincent said he was reluctant to tinker with a winning formula.
'I don't want to play with it too much. But at the same time, if you don't perform, you're not going to play,' he said. 'This is the time of year when you need to perform to stay in the lineup.'
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