The Impact Of The Latest Montreal Canadiens Injuries

The Montreal Canadiens have recalled defenceman Logan Mailloux from the Laval Rocket. The news cane shortly before the team announced both Kaiden Guhle and Mike Matheson would not participate in Friday’s practice.

Matheson did not return to Thursday’s game after retreating to the locker room, though the reason he had to leave the game is still unclear. He did absorb a big hit in the first period versus the Los Angeles Kings, but we’re yet to hear confirmation that’s why he was forced to miss the majority of the game.

The other news is somewhat surprising, as Guhle is now considered day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Guhle finished the game against the Kings, but a questionable hit five seconds into the second periodd clearly had a bigger impact than we originally expected. Kings forward Adrian Kempe was a thorn in Montreal’s side all night, using his 6’3″ frame to punish the Habs in the physical department.

Kempe/Guhle incident: pic.twitter.com/Woy6Hzr4lJ

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) October 18, 2024

Impact Of The Latest Montreal Canadiens Injuries

Losing Guhle for any period of time would be unfortunate. The team lacks NHL ready options on the right side of the ice, as evidenced by the fact that Guhle has been forced to play on his offside in recent years.

On that note, Mailloux looked quite good in his lone regular season game for the Habs last season, and he finished the preseason with solid underlying numbers. He also enjoyed a solid start to the AHL season, by registering two goals and two assists in two games. It’s a great opportunity for the 21-year-old, but it will be difficult to absorb all the available ice time should Guhle miss a significant stretch of games.

As for Matheson, the Canadiens are likely hoping the therapy day is all he needs before returning to play, as he’s easily the busiest player on the team in the last two seasons. Lane Hutson can certainly absorb some of the shifts Matheson usually plays, but he’s already being used heavily by head coach Martin St-Louis just seven games into his NHL career. Yes, Hutson has looked very good during his rookie campaign, but he’s not used to playing 82 games in a season, which means the team will have to be careful not to put too much on his plate, lest he hit a wall midway through the season, much like Jayden Struble last year.

Speaking of Struble, he’s nearing a return to play, which should alleviate some of the pressure that comes with losing two defencemen, but he will need a little time to get up to speed, and thus the expectations as to his early results should be tempered.

Slafkovsky Leaves Practice

It should also be noted Juraj Slafkovsky left practice after appearing to sustain an injury on his left shoulder, though we will have to wait for an update from the team to confirm the severity of the issue. We do know that Slafkovsky will make the trip to face the Islanders. Whether he plays is another matter.

À VOIR: Incommodé par son épaule gauche, Juraj Slafkovsky grimace de douleur 😬 pic.twitter.com/HA7Lvm1RmW

— TVA Sports (@TVASports) October 18, 2024