Montreal Canadiens: In-Depth Look At The Injury List
It’s been a while since we checked in depth the medical charts of the Montreal Canadiens roster. With nearly half the team constantly on the injured reserve, sometimes it’s confusing to follow, so let’s take a good hard look at who’s officially on the IR at the time of this writing.
Important Note: Only Nick Suzuki and Youppi! have not missed any games thus far.
Injury: Torn Meniscus
Injured Reserve Date: September 20th, 2021
Return Timetable: Indefinite
No one has any idea what’s going on with Carey Price’s knee. In fact, many people within the organization probably thinks Price himself has no idea what’s going on either.
Price has had lingering knee and hip issues for a few seasons now and although he came back in full force lat the end of last season, being a key player in the Habs’ run to the Stanley Cup Finals, Price has re-aggravated his injury and has not played a single game this season as of yet. He also entered and completed a rehabilitation program sponsored by the NHL for substance abuse in which the details have remained private.
Price has started on-ice rehabilitation a few weeks ago but then suddenly stopped without any word. Don’t be shocked if the Canadiens eventually announce that Price won’t be playing at all this season.
Carey Price has 4 years left on his contract after this season with a $10.5 million cap hit and a full no trade and movement clause.
Injury: Foot and wrist injuries
Injured Reserve Date: September 20, 2021
Return Timetable: Career Ending Injury
For those that missed it or simply forgot, Shea Weber’s career is all but done. He has played with a myriad of injuries that have never been properly treated and now it was time to hang them up and heal. Both former general manager Marc Bergevin and Jonathan Drouin both famously said that Weber’s career is done, and new general manager Kent Hughes put the final nail in the coffin when he announced that there will be a new Canadiens captain as of next season.
Weber is currently home in British-Columbia but has been spotted a handful of times in Montreal, most likely visiting the team doctors for updates. Weber still has 4 seasons left on his contract after this season with a $7,857,143 cap hit, that will likely be buried in the Long Term Injury Reserve until his contract runs out. Note that Weber’s actual salary in 2021-2022 is $6 million, then drops to $3 million in 2022-2023 and finally falls to $1 million per year until his contract runs out in 2026.
Injury: Back
Injured Reserve Date: September 20, 2021
Return Timetable: Indefinite
Joel Edmundson has had a terrible year off the ice so far. After being one of the main leaders of his first season with the Montreal Canadiens, Edmundson suffered a lower back injury that has forced him to restart his rehab more than once. Jeff Gorton has recently mentioned that Edmundson might finally need surgery if all alternative measures don’t work.
Also asked Gorton if he was able to get a sense for how important Edmundson was to MTL's success last summer.
— Eric Engels (@EricEngels) February 18, 2022
"Oh yes. Every time I met with a player, they talked to me about him."
Edmundson also took a leave of absence last fall after his father passed away. There is no news on whether Edmundson will be able to play at all this season. It’s important to note that surgery would be a major decision to take as not many athletes fully recover from back surgery once they cross 30. Edmundson, 28, has 2 years left on his contract after this season carrying a cap hit of $3.5 million which also carries a 10 team no trade list.
Injury: Lower Body Injury
Injured Reserve Date: December 15, 2021
Return Timetable: Indefinite
Mathieu Perreault is also another player with a streak of bad luck this season. After a good start to the season with the Canadiens, Perrault experienced double vision after an eye injury which required a procedure to correct the ailment. A few games back and he suffers an undisclosed lower body injury which has kept him on the shelf since the holiday season. There is no update or timetable regarding his return.
Perrault has 3 goals and 1 assists for 4 points in 14 games this season. He will be an unrestricted free agent this season and carries a $950,000 cap hit.
Injury: Lower Body Injury
Injured Reserve Date: January 12, 2022
Return Timetable: Mid March
Jake Allen re-aggravated a lower body injury during a game against the Boston Bruins on January 12th which required him to leave the game and get an MRI. Officially Allen is out 8 weeks which would time his return about a week before the trade deadline. No updates has been given on his condition as of yet.
Allen has a 5-16-2 record this season with a 3.15 Goals Against Average and a 0.901 save percentage. He has one year left on his contract after this season with a $2.875 million cap hit.
Injury: Undisclosed
Injured Reserve Date: January 15, 2022
Return Timetable: Indefinite
The main character in the Tyler Toffoli to Calgary trade has yet to report with his new team. It was reported when the trade went down that Pitlick had taken personal time off because his wife was expecting to give birth at any time. However, since then there has been no news on his end and the Canadiens have simply put him on injured reserve without any explanation. Here’s hoping everything is alright with the newborn.
Pitlick has 2 assists in 25 games this season and will be a UFA at the conclusion of this season. He carries a $1.75 million cap hit.
Injury: Wrist
Injured Reserve Date: January 21, 2022
Return Timetable: Indefinite
Jonathan Drouin and wrist injuries has become as synonymous as cheese curds and poutine. This time however, Drouin has injured his right wrist, it was the left wrist he injured back in 2019 that apparently still nags him to this day. There is no timetable for his return although he has been spotted with the team locker room and gym during morning practices ever since the hiring of Martin St. Louis as the new head coach.
Drouin has 6 goals and 14 assists for 20 points in 32 games this season. He has one year left on his contract after this season carrying a $5.5 million cap hit as well as a 3 team no trade list.
Injury: Concussion
Injured Reserve Date: January 23, 2022
Return Timetable: Day-To-Day
Christian Dvorak is struggling to make his mark with the Montreal Canadiens and things only seemed to turn for the worst when he failed a concussion test in between periods against the Minnesota Wild in January. He has been seen skating and slowly practicing with his teammates and his status has been updated to day-to-day.
Dvorak has 7 goals and 9 assists for 16 points in 34 games this season. He has 3 years left on his contract after this season carrying a $4.45 million cap hit and an 8 team no trade list effective for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons.
Injury: Ankle
Injured Reserve Date: January 28, 2022
Return Timetable: Indefinite
David Savard was so happy this past summer. He won a Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning and then bolted to his hometown team the Montreal Canadiens as a free agent. The smiles quickly disappeared as the Canadiens piled on the losses and Savard started drawing the ire of fans with his inconsistent play. Things have gone as far as being compared to Dion Phaneuf and his “human pylon” days.
Savard injured his ankle after blocking a shot in a January game and is expected to return in mid-to-late March. He has 1 goal and 8 assists for 9 points in 42 games this season. He has 3 more years left on his contract carrying a $3.5 million cap hit.
Injury: Facial Cut
Injured Reserve Date: February 18, 2022
Return Timetable: Day-To-Day
Joel Armia is day-to-day after receiving a cut from a skate against the St. Louis Blues. He missed Sunday’s game against the Islanders and is listed as day-to-day. His original injury was listed as undisclosed. No further updates were given on his condition.
Armia has 2 goals and 5 assists for 7 points this season in 37 games this season. He has 3 years remaining on his contract at a $3.4 million cap hit. Armia has been at the center of many trade rumors since the start of the season.
Injury: COVID-19 Protocol
Injured Reserve Date: February 18, 2022
Return Timetable: Day-To-Day
Corey Schueneman is slowly turning into a fan favorite and has already started gaining respect from his teammates as well. The undrafted 26 year old defenceman made his NHL debut this season due to the endless amount of injuries on the team ultimately bumped him up the depth chart. He has been a dynamic and intelligent player in his short 6 game stint in the NHL thus far also collecting 2 assists in the process. In 27 games with the AHL Laval Rocket this season he amassed 3 goals and 7 assists for 10 points.
Schueneman, like virtually everyone on the team at some point, has been placed on COVID-19 protocol and is day-to-day. He will be a restricted free agent at the end of the year and carries a $750,000 cap hit.
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