Another day, another season-ending injury in Montreal as the Canadiens announced Josh Anderson would miss the rest of the season with a high-ankle sprain late Thursday night. The injury occurred in the Canadiens’ 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday Night. Despite the dangerous nature of the play, somehow, no penalty was called.
Anderson's ankle bends at an ugly angle after Sergachev's takedown sends him into the goalpost pic.twitter.com/jcucvq95UN
— Scott Matla (@scottmatla) March 22, 2023
Seeing the injury, it’s hardly surprising that the Canadiens forward will miss time, as the result of the play was not pretty. Fortunately, no surgery will be required, according to Canadiens VP of Hockey Communications Chantal Machabee. Unfortunately, Anderson now joins a long list of Canadiens that have suffered a season-ending injury, with Kaiden Guhle and Christian Dvorak being the other recent additions to this not-so-exclusive club.
Anderson was playing great hockey prior to his injury, with 15 points in his last 20 games entering the contest versus the Lightning. One common criticism about Anderson’s play was his lack of consistency during his tenure in Montreal. However, he had finally seemed to hit a stride, which makes the injury incredibly unfortunate.
With Anderson now out for the rest of the year, it does beg the question, has the power-forward played his last game in a Canadiens uniform? Kent Hughes reportedly turned down offers for Anderson during the regular season, so it’s not out of the question that teams would be looking to re-engage in trade talks for Anderson. With improved play over the second half of the season, teams might be even more open to giving up assets to acquire him. Something to think about as the season winds down.
With just 10 games left in the year, it isn’t that surprising to see the Habs shut down players for the year. The Canadiens don’t have much left to play for, and there is no sense in rushing these guys back into the lineup if they are not 100%. Although, given how Anderson’s injury looked, it may take more than 10 games to recover anyways. Regardless, Montreal is down yet another body. This season cannot end soon enough.
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