Harkins will be one of those players with the opportunity to show what he can do.
He hasn't found the score sheet in his 12 games so far, but he did score a big goal for the Jets in the Qualifying Round series against the Calgary Flames - a goal that proved to be the game-winner in Game 2.
Still, the 23-year-old isn't heaping a bunch of pressure on his shoulders.
"I'm just going to try to stick to my game and help the team win," said Harkins. "That's what the team's been doing as I've been out of the lineup, is just winning and playing good hockey. So I just want to come in and fill a role and helping the team do that and not try to do too much in terms of myself and what I do out there, just try to keep it simple and go out there and play."
He'll skate alongside two veterans tonight in Nate Thompson and Trevor Lewis. The two found success in training camp during the first scrimmage, but Harkins knows that regular season action will be much different.
Jets head coach Paul Maurice is confident in what Harkins will bring to the ice tonight.
"He's worked really hard. That's never an issue with him," said Maurice. "We want to see him on the puck, finishing checks, and if he has a chance to get that shot off, we want him shooting the puck every chance he gets."
Winnipeg's line-up is expected to look like this, based on Wednesday's practice:
Connor-Scheifele-Ehlers
Stastny-Dubois-Copp
Perreault-Lowry-Appleton
Harkins-Thompson-Lewis
Morrissey-Poolman
Forbort-Pionk
Stanley-DeMelo
The Jets have won four of the six meetings with the Canadiens (17-10-9) heading into tonight.
Of those four overtime wins, three have come in overtime, and Quebec product Pierre-Luc Dubois has one of those winners in extra time.
While the Canadiens have a significant injury of their own - Brendan Gallagher is out six weeks with a fractured thumb - Dubois expects to see the very best of the Canadiens (17-10-9), who dropped a 3-2 decision in Toronto Wednesday night.
"They're always around the puck so I think it's important to move the puck fast," said Dubois. "It's important to move your feet when you get it. My dad's always told me, "When you get the puck, you've got to take three hard strides and then look up" because if you don't, then you're an easy target to forecheck against a team like this."
After going on a run of 14 straight games with the same 18 skaters, Dubois' line will be one of three that will have a slightly different look tonight.
Dubois has yet to play on a line at five-on-five with Copp this season, which is what made Wednesday's practice so important.
"We were talking yesterday, we're talking today about what I can do to help him, what we can do as a line to help him, what we're trying to accomplish, and stuff like that," said Dubois. "I think the more I get to play here, the more I see players -- even if I'm not playing with them necessarily on the same line -- so when they do come, like Copper, I know what he looks for in his game."
Tonight's game against Montreal starts a stretch of five games in eight days for the Jets, so managing ice time - something the Jets have done well so far this season - will be key.
