Canadiens Injuries

Canadiens Receive Good News On The Injury Front

Published

2 months ago

October 26, 2024

The Montreal Canadiens currently have six players who are on the mend, a perfectly normal situation for a team that has suffers more injuries than most standing armies.

And while Patrik Laine, David Reinbacher, and Rafael Harvey-Pinard are not expected back in the lineup any time soon, there was some good news when it comes to the health of Juraj Slafkovsky, Kaiden Guhle, and Justin Barron.

Relatively good news, at least.

The trio is not healthy enough to face the St. Louis Blues on Saturday, but both Guhle and Slafkovsky took to the ice on Saturday, while Barron was spotted practicing alone on Friday. Some may suggest this is far from a cause for celebration, but given the team’s history, any time a Canadiens player can avoid a long-term injury they’re doing better than most.

Kaiden Guhle ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/88YS5cCoBU

— Renaud Lavoie (@renlavoietva) October 26, 2024

Guhle and Slafkovsky were spotted in blue, non-contact jerseys, which connotes there’s likely a lingering issue that isn’t quite healed, but it’s not a situation that should lead to a significant stretch of missed games. In Slafkovsky’s absence, Kirby Dach was used on the team’s top line with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield. It quickly neutered the scoring potential from the second line, which was anchored by rookie Oliver Kapanen.

Juraj Slafkovsky ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/LOcybuLUZN

— Renaud Lavoie (@renlavoietva) October 26, 2024

Barron absorbed a headshot from the master of doling out brain injuries, Jacob Trouba, and though it’s certainly encouraging that he’s already back on the ice, the Canadiens will have to be careful when it comes to reinserting him into the lineup. The same can be said for Guhle, who has suffered much more than his fair share of injuries since he arrived in the NHL.

The Canadiens can afford to give all three players a longer recovery runway, as their long-term health status is much more important than potentially winning the next few games in a season that is likely to once again end with a lottery pick.