Ivan Demidov's foot may be healing faster than anyone in Montreal dared hope, and the Canadiens could use some good news right now.
Maxime Truman reported Monday night that the signs on Demidov's foot are encouraging, with his absence looking closer to two weeks than four.
The Canadiens announced on October 6 that the forward would miss two to four weeks. Truman added there's a real chance he plays next week.
Rehab is rarely linear, and Truman flagged that too. But heading into tonight's home game against Buffalo, a shorter timeline changes the math for Martin St-Louis.
From what I've heard, the news regarding Ivan Demidov's foot recovery is encouraging.
According to my sources, everything indicates that his absence will be closer to 2 weeks than 4.
Of course, rehabilitation is never a sure thing and rarely goes smoothly, but there is a good chance we'll see Ivan Demidov play next week.
Reminder: The Canadiens announced on October 6 that Demidov would be out for 2 to 4 weeks.
-
The 20-year-old managed a goal and an assist in two games before landing on injured reserve.
A point per game from a kid carrying a $940,834 cap hit is exactly the kind of value Kent Hughes builds a roster around.
Montreal hasn't exactly been humming. The Canadiens sit 23rd overall at 2-2-1, with 19 goals allowed through five games.
Canadiens still list Demidov out until at least October 31
Here's the tension. The club's official listing hasn't budged, and a vague lower-body tag tells fans nothing about how close that foot really is.
Injury timelines work like a contractor's quote. Everybody hears the low number, and somehow everybody ends up living with the high one.
So what would next week actually look like? San Jose visits on October 20, then Montreal leaves for a road trip through Chicago, Winnipeg, St. Louis and Dallas.
Rushing him back onto a foot that just started cooperating would be a bad call. A road swing ending in Dallas is a lousy place for a test drive.
Nick Suzuki is carrying the attack with 7 points in five games. Zachary Bolduc has chipped in three goals, one of them on the power play.
The rest of the forward group is quieter. Cole Caufield has two goals and no helpers, while Juraj Slafkovsky owns a single point and a -1 rating.
The crease is its own story. Samuel Montembeault is on injured reserve, and Jacob Fowler has posted a .938 save percentage with a shutout in two appearances.
Tonight's opponent arrives off a 5-3 win over Florida. Montreal sees the Sabres again Saturday, with a back-to-back stop in Washington wedged in between.
If the foot holds up this week, St-Louis has a call to make before the plane leaves for Chicago. One setback, and the club's longer timeline suddenly looks a lot less conservative.
Should the Canadiens hold Ivan Demidov out until October 31 even if he's ready next week?
Also read on Markerzone.com:
Panthers confirm another tough turn of events for Brad Marchand
