Canadiens Give Good And Bad News On Injury Front

The Montreal Canadiens cleared up some of the fog surrounding the bevy of veteran players that currently feature on the injured reserve.

Alternate captain Brendan Gallagher has not yet been cleared to play, but there has been some progress in his rehabilitation from a lower-body injury.

Gallagher made the jump from a non-contact jersey at previous skates to a regular jersey on Wednesday morning, which is always a good sign a player is getting close to a return to play.

The news in Mike Matheson‘s case, however, is not very encouraging.

Matheson’s incident took place on Dec.17, as he suffered a lower-body injury that eventually led to the Canadiens announcing there was no timetable for his return.

He will be re-evaluated upon the Canadiens’ return to Montreal, although it’s worth noting the Habs will be on the road until the new year.

Matheson has suffered multiple injuries this season, a trend the Canadiens will hope come to an end in the very near future given his role on the blue line.

Mike Matheson:

Blessure au bas du corps subie le 17 décembre (blessure différente). Il sera réévalué en revenant à Montréal.

Lower-body injury on December 17 (different injury). He will be re-evaluated when the team returns to Montreal.

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) December 28, 2022

Fellow veteran defenceman David Savard is much closer to being healthy, as he has resumed skating at the Canadiens’ practice facility in Brossard.

Centre Sean Monahan also resumed skating, taking to the ice for the first time since he was unable to take part in the Canadiens’ game against the Seattle Kraken on Dec. 6.

Heart And Soul

Paul Byron is yet to play a game for the Canadiens this season, and unfortunately there seems to be no return in sight for the speedy forward.

His rehabilitation from a hip injury has been difficult, and has not yet reached the point where Byron would be comfortable skating at practice.

He will re-evaluated in the next couple of weeks, but the tone of the Canadiens’ tweet does not leave much room for optimism.

Paul Byron (EN):

Hip injury – Slow progression. He has not yet skated, but there have been some improvements in the last two weeks and he will continue to be evaluated in the coming weeks.

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) December 28, 2022