BROSSARD, Que. — It’s been a long road to travel, but Montreal Canadiens prospect Jarred Tinordi feels like he’s almost arrived at his destination.

Of course, there are still a couple of things standing in the way of Tinordi staying put in Montreal. The Canadiens have nearly $29 million invested in their top six defencemen and Greg Pateryn’s emergence as a reliable NHL player makes him a shoe-in to stick as well.

Tinordi’s gotten his feet wet at this level. The 22nd overall pick of the Canadiens at the 2010 NHL Draft has 43 regular season and five Stanley Cup playoff games with Montreal under his belt.

He’s on the final year of a contract that pays him $850,500 to lace up his skates in the NHL ($70,875 AHL) and if the Canadiens choose to send him down to the St. John’s IceCaps, they’ll risk losing him on waivers. As a result, Tinordi’s immediate future has become one of the focal points of this year’s training camp.

On Monday, we sat down with the 23-year-old Minnesotan to discuss his off-season lifestyle, rehabilitation from injuries he suffered last season, the support of his friends in the NHL and the things he must do to stay in Montreal this time around, among other things.

Sportsnet: What constitutes a fun day in London, Ont., where you spent your off-season?

Jarred Tinordi: Workout in the morning, go out to FireRock Golf Club with some of the boys, maybe dinner on Richmond Row somewhere—nothing too crazy.

A couple of guys I played with [for the London Knights in the OHL] actually came back for the summer; Michael Houser [San Antonio Rampage] and Scott Harrington from the Toronto Marlies. Tommy Hughes [Hartford Wolfpack] is around in London, and [teammates] Nathan Beaulieu and Mike McCarron were there too.

SN: What was the most interesting thing you did this summer?

Tinordi: I actually did a zipline/obstacle course through the trees—there’s kind of like a national park in London that’s all built up in the trees. You zip from tree to tree and do obstacle courses in between. It was pretty cool.

SN: When we last saw you, you had broken your left wrist in the game before being recalled to Montreal in February. It couldn’t have been comfortable playing four games through that. What did rehab from the injury entail?

Tinordi: I had surgery and then I was in a cast for 10 weeks. It was probably another two, three weeks before I could start working out again. It was a long process.

SN: How much do you lean on your father Mark who played over 600 NHL games for advice?

Tinordi: When I have to go to him with questions, he’s been good for me. And he’s been good in not coming to me too much.

It’s good for our relationship that when I have a question or need some advice I can go to him as opposed to him always buzzing my cell phone with things I should be doing. He knows I can handle myself, so that’s good.

SN: Is there anybody in the NHL that’s pulled you aside and taken on a mentorship role with you?

Tinordi: There have been lots of guys over the years, mostly in [the Canadiens’] room.

Carey Price has been great to me. My first year Hal Gill was awesome—he didn’t really necessarily take me under his wing, but he was always around and they always put me on the same team as him in camp. And Josh Gorges was great with me, too.

It’s kind of a mish-mash, and I think that’s what I love about this team; everyone is really outgoing.

SN: On a stacked Canadiens blue line, how do you distinguish yourself to force the coaching staff to keep you in Montreal this season?

Tinordi: I think it’s just a matter of playing my game. I think there’s a spot for me on this team if I earn it. Nothing is given.

The biggest thing for me is to just be reliable; I want to show the coaches and management that they can trust me in the defensive zone and the offensive zone.

I have to play physical and we’ll take it from there.

SN: Softball here: Djokovic or Federer?

Tinordi: Federer!

SN: Another one: Are you a Blue Jays fan?

Tinordi: Not really. I’m more of a Jays fan now than I have been in the past.

I’m more into football. The Baltimore Ravens are my team. Tough start to the year so far for them, don’t think they’ll be too good.

SN: Back to hockey; is there anything the coaches have told you to focus on that would help you stick in Montreal?

Tinordi: They just want me to make the easy play. Sometimes I get caught trying to do too much, so the biggest thing for me is to just move the puck quick and play a simple game.

SN: Concussions are a hot-button issue in the NHL and you suffered one last season. How did you deal with that?

Tinordi: I was very fortunate; I was back playing after only seven days. I followed the standard protocol, took my time away from the rink, passed all the tests and was cleared right away.

It was fortunate for me–I know a lot of other players that have had it a lot tougher.

SN: How do you push fear out of your mind when you suffer such a scary injury?

Tinordi: I always knew the risk. The risk is assumed when you get into something like a fight.

I’ve had five years of playing at a level where you can fight and I’ve seen my fair share of scary injuries. It is scary. It’s scary for everybody, but I think that’s something you just have to build yourself up to get over.

Injuries happen to most people that fight in the league unfortunately. When you suffer an injury, it’s something you have to have a short-term memory about. When I came back after my concussion, I think I had one of my best games of the year.

SN: You’ve always been a physical player; can you describe the best hit you’ve ever thrown?

Tinordi: My second year back from Montreal’s camp, going back to junior, the first game we were playing Sudbury.

A player was skating up my side of the ice and I was the left defenceman, and he was a defenceman rushing the puck up the ice. He got caught looking left and I just skated right towards him, he didn’t see me and couldn’t get out of the way. Boom!

I don’t remember who it was, but I’m sure he remembers me [laughs].