The Montreal Canadiens announced via the team's official X/Twitter account that forward Emil Heineman was involved in a traffic accident yesterday. Heineman was a pedestrian in the incident.
Emil Heineman a été impliqué, hier, dans un accident de la route comme piéton. Heineman a subi une blessure au haut du corps et sera absent pour une durée de trois à quatre semaines.
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) January 14, 2025
Emil Heineman was involved in a traffic accident yesterday as a pedestrian. Heineman sustained…
Details of the incident and Heineman's condition are scarce at the present time. However, the team did announce that he sustained an upper-body injury and will miss the next 3-4 weeks.
The 23-year-old Swedish winger is in his first full season with the Habs. He has scored 10 goals and registered 7 assists through 41 games thus far this season.
Heineman was drafted by the Florida Panthers in the second-round of the 2020 draft. He was traded to Calgary for Sam Bennett in 2021. He was then traded to Montreal as part of a package for Tyler Toffoli in 2022. He made his Habs debut last season, appearing in 4 games.
This could be a blow to the Canadiens who are riding a hot streak. They have won 8 of their last 11 games including impressive wins over the Vegas Golden Knights, Florida Panthers, and Tampa Bay Lightning in that span. At present, they sit just two points behind the Columbus Blue Jackets for the second Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.
While we don't yet know the details of the accident or extent of Heineman's injuries, a 3-4 absence indicates a relatively serious injury. Seeing the headline induced brief panic from me considering the NHL is still not far removed from the deaths of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau.
The brothers were killed by a drunk driver while riding bikes in New Jersey during the offseason. The driver has pleaded not guilty and is facing two counts of vehicular homicide.
My thoughts are with Emil and his family. I wish them the best, and I hope he has a swift recovery.