The Montreal Canadiens have announced that Quebec forward Alex Belzile’s season has come to an end due to a broken leg. He was injured last Saturday against the Hurricanes.
The CH also added that Sean Monahan had undergone groin surgery, also ending his season.
Recalled in January by the CH, Belzile played 31 games in the NHL this season, amassing six goals and 14 points.
“I think he gave us a good sample,” said Martin St-Louis. He helped his cause. ”
Acquired by CH last summer, Monahan has been sidelined since December 5. Before getting injured, the striker was having a good time with six goals and 17 points in 25 games.
“Sean arrived with a good amount of experience, he was a good acquisition. He can do so many things. He can play everywhere and he is very reliable on the ice. He brought a flexibility that was hard to find. I hope he still has hockey ahead of him,” added St-Louis.
Late in the afternoon, the team announced the emergency recall of defender Corey Schueneman from the Laval Rocket.
The CH then confirmed that Juraj Slafkovsky’s season was also over. He injured his left knee in January and hasn’t returned to action since.
He will therefore finish his rookie season in the NHL with four goals and 10 points in 39 games.
With all these announcements, there are now nine Canadiens players who have seen their season come to an end, a number to which we could also add the name of Paul Byron who has not played for the season.
“It’s difficult, we don’t wish bad luck on anyone. We think we have reinforcements and in the end, we lose two or three players at once, ”admitted goalkeeper Samuel Montembeault in training Monday morning.
Four other players were missing Monday morning at Habs practice. Forwards Rafaël Harvey-Pinard and Jake Evans, defender Jordan Harris and goaltender Jake Allen were not on the ice. The situation is getting so ridiculous at CH that Montembeault may have had a solution…
“If they need to, I can play on offense! I am available, ”laughed the goalkeeper.
“I’ve never seen that, it’s crazy. We didn’t even have full training for the practice. ”
RHP was left out on Saturday night against the Carolina Hurricanes to allow him to recover from a few sores and take some rest.
Harris and Evans were all in uniform Saturday, while goaltender Jake Allen hasn’t kept goal since last Monday against the Buffalo Sabres.
There are still five games to play for the Canadian and the motivation is certainly not likely to be at its maximum. Brendan Gallagher still believes it’s important for the team’s future to end the campaign on the right foot.
“We are building something. I know the season will be over, but these five games are important. They matter to us and they matter to the fans. We are building a culture. ”
Sean Farrell has only three games of NHL experience and can still use the next five games to gain confidence for the next camp. A veteran like Chris Tierney probably has hopes of catching the eye of an NHL team watcher. And St. Louis has confirmed that Cayden Primeau will face the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday.
Primeau had a decent game despite losing 3-2 to the Philadelphia Flyers last Tuesday. The 23-year-old American was making his first NHL start since February 10, 2022.
Primeau’s performances have allowed the Laval Rocket to return to the American League North playoff picture in recent weeks.
He probably hopes to convince the management of the Canadian that he is ready for a full-time position in the NHL next fall.
His teammates will have to give him a hand by playing better than in recent games, otherwise he will have a hard time looking good and he could also find the summer long.
“Each game is a learning opportunity, especially when the group is young like ours,” insisted Joel Edmundson. We still have five games to prepare for the future. It may seem short, but it’s important to be able to leave for the summer with a little optimism. ”
“Then you never know what’s going to happen next season,” he concluded.
In addition, St. Louis confirmed that Cayden Primeau would get the start on Tuesday against the Red Wings.
