Canadiens: Injury Bug Bites Hard

Other Teams in the NHL have suffered a Lot Less From Injuries

Man Games Lost is a website designed to measure how many games players have missed from teams in their respective leagues. It’s a fantastic tool that allows us to get a glimpse at just how injured a team is. This is how we can conclude that no other team has suffered more from injuries than the Canadiens over the last two seasons. It’s not just an opinion but rather a factual statement.

While there are a few teams near the Canadiens in terms of man games lost, the vast majority of teams have suffered significantly less than the Canadiens. This specific tweet references that the Rangers have suffered so few injuries they could not possibly catch the Canadiens in this department. I would consider them an outlier, but most teams are still in similar boats. The same could be said for last season.

Nobody gets injured quite like Montreal. Now, there are some conclusions that could be drawn from this data that would explain a few things. First, there seems to be a correlation between injuries and non-playoff teams. But this could be a chicken or the egg situation. Are they non-playoff teams because of all the injuries, or are players now sitting out with nothing to play for? For instance, Cole Caufield said he believes he would still be playing this season if the Habs were competing for a playoff spot. But is that true for everyone?

It’s hard to say for sure, but even in that regard, it’s crazy to see the Canadiens leading the way in back-to-back years. Whether it’s fair or not, it’s bound to reflect poorly on the Canadiens’ medical staff, making many wonder if a change is necessary. If nothing else, a little more clarity would help ease those concerns.

What’s Causing the Injuries?

We may never know for sure what’s going on behind closed doors, especially in this department. Players have the right to privacy, especially in regard to their health. This makes it difficult to understand why injuries are such a problem in Montreal. While Cole Caufield has been open and honest about his injury, it usually hasn’t been so transparent. And that’s understandable, but it has left everyone in the dark.

Ideally, even if the fans and reporters covering the team don’t know, Kent Hughes does. It could, perhaps, be a crazy streak of bad luck, but it could also be a lack of preparation or even over-preparation. Just looking at some of these injuries, it feels like there may be something the Habs can do. Numerous players have had shoulder injuries. Last season, Kent Hughes himself said they had a lot of back injuries. It makes me think they need to do more to help players be in the best shape possible to go out and perform.

Whatever the problem is, Hughes and his staff need to get to the bottom of it quickly because this cannot continue. Everything needs to be re-evaluated, from training methods to recovery to anything in between. No stone can be left unturned.

The Canadiens Need to FInd A Solution

I suspect that part of why the Canadiens are so injured does have to do with where they are in the standings. I don’t think it’s outlandish to assume more players would be playing through an injury if the Canadiens were still in contention for a playoff spot. Even then, the severity of many of these injuries is concerning, and the fact that so many young players are also getting hurt is not great either.

Several of the Habs’ young core have missed time this season due to injuries, with Juraj Slafkovsky, Cole Caufield, and Arber Xhekaj all out for the remainder of the season. The Canadiens need to ensure this won’t continue into next year. It’s one thing if aging vets like Brendan Gallagher and Sean Monahan miss time. They have lengthy injury histories. It’s, unfortunately, something that was always a possibility for them heading into this season. You don’t want your rookies heading down a similar path.

The Canadiens may need to make changes to the medical staff. They may need to upgrade their facilities to ensure the players can be as prepared as possible on any night. They may need to do several things. And they need to do it pronto because they cannot afford their youth to spend more time in the press box than they do on the ice. It’s not good for development, and it’s not good for success. Nobody in the NHL has suffered more injuries than the Canadiens over the last two years. The bottom line is that has to change.

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