The Canadiens have been dealing with an injury nightmare for several years. Carey Price, Shea Weber, and Paul Byron never fully recovered from their injuries sustained during the 2021 Cup run and are now retired in all but name (with the exception of Byron, who made an official announcement after his contract expired). Last season, Cole Caufield and Arber Xhekaj were both forced to retire due to shoulder injuries that landed them in the operating room, while Christian Dvorak required knee surgery. Sean Monahan only appeared in 25 games, while Kirby Dach failed to appear in 60. It had been a nightmare.
The Habs brass decided to revamp their medical department during the offseason, and head athletic therapist Graham Rynbend was let go, as was head physiotherapist Donald Balmforth, and Dr. David Mulder, who had been with the team since 1963, stepped down as head team physician.
The hope was that those changes would result in a healthier team this season, but they haven’t. Chris Wideman didn’t even play in the first game of the season. Dach suffered a season-ending knee injury in the first game of the season. David Savard, a shot-blocking machine, fractured his left hand and was ruled out for six to eight weeks. Rafael Harvey-Pinard was just placed on the injured list for six to eight weeks due to a lower-body injury. Jordan Harris was also ruled out indefinitely with a lower-body injury, and he had left the team to return to Montreal for additional testing and a thorough evaluation of his condition.Meanwhile, Xhekaj continues to be evaluated on a daily basis for an upper-body injury.
To put it another way, Montreal’s inexperienced defense is missing three starters. So far, Justin Barron has successfully integrated the lineup, but Gustav Lindstrom has been less than impressive. Jayden Struble and Mattias Norlinder were both called up from Laval following yesterday’s injury announcements. Struble’s family traveled to Anaheim yesterday to see him play in his first NHL game, which appears to indicate he’ll replace Jordan Harris in tonight’s game against the Ducks. Could Lindstrom’s numerous turnovers and soft play cost him his starting spot? Would Struble feel more at ease with Norlinder beside him than with the former Red Wings’ seventh defenseman? We’ll find out later today when the Canadiens practice at 2.30 PM ET.
In and Around the NHL
Martin St-Louis changed his lines yesterday in order to avoid a fifth straight defeat tonight, and he will instruct his players to focus on forechecking. The coach’s goal, according to him, was to balance his line and have some depth on each trio. The Canadiens haven’t been playing up to their own standards lately, so St-Louis decided to crack the whip a little.
Caufield’s presence, according to the bench boss, is no longer a surprise for opponents; they are well aware of his presence and act accordingly. Furthermore, he stated that he is asking his sniper to do more than just score goals on the ice because that is where he is in his development. St. Louis is reuniting him with Dvorak and Juraj Slafkovsky tonight because he thought they played well together in the four games they were together. The plan is also to separate Nick Suzuki and Caufield, making it more difficult for the Ducks to counter his two most potent offensive weapons.
When asked about Gallagher, the pilot stated that he is aware of how the gritty veteran plays and where he will be on the ice. He believes he will fight in front of the net to make room for Alex Newhook and Suzuki. At the same time, he believes Gallagher has incorporated more of his teachings and is more purposeful on the ice; he does not see himself solely as an F1 player on the ice.
I’ll admit that seeing Gallagher on the first line made me wonder, but the coach mentioned that he hadn’t tried that combination yet this season, so why not try it now? We’ll see how well they get along tonight. However, I was disappointed to see Monahan return to the third line. I had hoped he would be given more time to practice with Slafkovsky. He has the hockey IQ to help the rookie gain confidence and produce more offensively, in my opinion.
Tonight, I’ll be watching the new lines and the Canadiens’ forecheck, as the coach believes this was the main issue in Boston. However, forechecking against Anaheim is much easier than against the Bruins.
On a brighter note, Filip Mesar scored his first OHL hat trick yesterday. Last season, the young Slovak was timid in Kitchener, but now that he has had time to adjust to the North American style of play, he is dominating. He’s appeared in 11 games and has eight goals and 14 assists for a total of 22 points. His two-point-per-game average ties him for first place in the league in terms of PPG with teammate Carson Rehkopf. Mesar’s return to the OHL was a wise decision, given the limited role he could have played in Laval this season.
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