The Canadiens have recalled forward Owen Beck from the Laval Rocket, one day after loaning him to Laval. The team did not give a reason, but the timing is easy to read: Montreal plays in Chicago on Friday at 8:00 PM ET and needs another forward for the trip.

Beck played one game in Laval in between, and he made it count. On Wednesday night he scored in the Rocket’s 5-1 win over Syracuse, their sixth win in a row. It was an empty-net goal with a little more than five minutes left, so I will not make it bigger than it is. What I like is the way he and David Reinbacher answered. Both had been sent down earlier in the day, and both made an immediate impact. Reinbacher scored on a breakaway. You can read the full story in our Rocket recap.

BECKER 💥 pic.twitter.com/GsqLqmvYnp

— Rocket de Laval (@RocketLaval) October 22, 2026

Beck by the Numbers

Player	Team	GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	PIM
Owen Beck (C)	Canadiens	2	0	0	0	-2	0
Owen Beck (C)	Rocket	5	1	1	2	+2	2

In two NHL games this season Beck averaged about 7:22 of ice time, a fourth-line role, with two shots and no points. With the Rocket he now has a goal and an assist in five games and a plus-2 rating, after going without a goal in his first four. For a young center who is one injury away from a regular job, a goal and a good night in the AHL is exactly what you want to see between two NHL stints.

Why Beck Is the One Coming Back

This is the same scenario we laid out yesterday in our loan article. Ivan Demidov and Florian Xhekaj are both on injured reserve, and a road trip requires 13 forwards: 12 to play and one extra in case someone gets hurt or sick. Beck is the natural 13th forward. Whether he dresses in Chicago or sits as the extra is something we will know on Friday.

What It Says About Matheson (Our Read)

Here is where I want to be careful. A forward recall does not tell us anything about the defense by itself, and the team has not changed Mike Matheson‘s status. He has been listed day to day since October 14 and has not played since October 10.

But look at the other half of yesterday’s move. Reinbacher went to Laval and has not come back. The Canadiens do not usually send a defenseman down on a day when they expect to be short on defense two days later. As we reported yesterday, Matheson is skating and close to returning. Put those pieces together and my read is that Matheson is ready, or very close to ready, for Chicago. That is our read, not an announcement from the team.

If he plays, he brings back a veteran who averaged just over 24 minutes a game in his five appearances this season, with an assist in the opener in Toronto. One of the six defensemen who have been playing without him would come out. Our guess is Adam Engström, who replaced Reinbacher against San Jose, but that is only a guess until we see the pairs.

What We Are Watching

Friday’s morning skate in Chicago is the key. Watch for Matheson in a regular defense pairing, and for Beck either in the fourth-line group or off to the side as the extra forward. We will have the official lines and pairs on the Lineup Tonight page and any status change on the Injury Report. Every move is tracked on our Roster Moves page.

Sources: Canadiens recall as listed on NHL.com; Canadiens season stats from NHL.com; Rocket stats and game story from HABSHQ’s Rocket stats page.