While they sit in fifth place in the Atlantic Division, the Montreal Canadians have much more to worry about. The roster has needed some adjustment by head coach Martin St. Louis due to the recent abundance of injuries. Four players who play significant roles are out of the lineup, and the team is looking for answers due to their absence.
Who is out of action?
Center Kirby Dach is out of action and on injured reserve with a fractured foot. Center Alex Newhook is out of action with a broken ankle and is also on injured reserve. Left winger Patrik Laine is out with an abdominal issue and defenseman Kaiden Guhle is on injured reserve and will miss 8-10 weeks after adductor muscle surgery. The center depth took a massive hit and so did the offense with the loss of Dach and NEwhook. The power play is losing one of the most feared weapons on the off-wing with Laine and the defense is losing one of their best defenseman in Guhle.
What the Canadians did to fill those holes
Montreal took action and replaced some of these players almost immediately. Center Alex Texier was signed to a one-year, $1 million deal to help fill the center void. he played eight games with the St. Louis Blues this season, notching one assist. Recalled from the Laval Rocket in the American Hockey League were defenseman Adam Engstrom and forward Florian Xhekaj, brother of defenseman Arber Xhekaj. The 6-foot-2 and 198-pound Engstrom has five goals and nine assists for 14 points with Laval and the 6-foot-4 and 204-pound Xhekaj has two goals, two assists, and 44 penalty minutes in 16 games. He fought in his NHL debut.
These injuries could cost the Canadians long-term as the players on injured reserve are out for an undetermined amount of time. Will Montreal make a move to bring in more players or will they seek out free agents? The Canadians are still a deep team but they are looking for some pieces to help fill voids. This roster has taken a big hit and for the short term they have filled a couple of spots. What does this mean for the long-term?