No team in the NHL has suffered more injuries during the last two seasons than the Montreal Canadiens. But whether you’re looking at it from a combined total or for each of the last two seasons, the Canadiens still lead in that department. Now injuries are a part of the game, but there has to be a point where enough is enough, and it’s hard to imagine a scenario in which the Canadiens haven’t reached that point.
Yes, injuries are an unfortunate part of the game, and there is no slider to toggle that turns injuries off, like in a video game. Every team needs to deal with them at some point, at any point. But the question needs to be asked. At what point for the Canadiens does it stop being a part of the game and start becoming a problem that needs to be addressed?
NHL top 5 teams, man-games lost to injury and health protocols
— Man-Games Lost NHL (@ManGamesLostNHL) February 24, 2023
MTL 438
TOR 428
CBJ 405
WSH 402
PHI 386https://t.co/3CPAdBy7Is
I’m sure fans would love to know exactly how the Canadiens intend to address this, and Kent Hughes himself has said that they will take a closer look at it in the off-season. This certainly adds credence to the idea that more can be done, as opposed to it being just an unlucky streak. The way the Habs compare to the rest of the NHL doesn’t help either.