Concerning news on another Canadien that raises injury concerns, joining Nick Suzuki and Ivan Demidov

Moments ago, word came that Alex Newhook will not participate in the Canadiens' practice today.

He is listed as a therapy day, and nothing more is known about his status for Thursday's game against the Utah Mammoth. But the timing hurts, a day after a 5-4 overtime loss to the Jets.

Newhook played 19:43 against Winnipeg, a heavy night for a forward who doesn't usually carry that kind of minutes. That tells you how thin the Canadiens are down the middle right now.

Montreal was already short-handed. Ivan Demidov is on injured reserve with a foot issue and is listed as out until at least Nov. 7, which is an estimate and nothing firmer.

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Nick Suzuki is listed as day-to-day with a hand issue, with an expected absence until at least Nov. 18. The captain had looked close to a comeback, as Nick Suzuki's return to the top line was reported on Monday.

That return never happened. Martin St-Louis confirmed Tuesday that Nick Suzuki's absence against the Jets would continue, and the Canadiens played without him.

Can the Canadiens survive another hole at center?

The standings say they can, for now. Montreal sits 9-3-3, sixth in the NHL and second in the Atlantic Division, with a 7-1-2 mark over its last 10.

But that record was built with a healthier group. Suzuki has played only 9 games and put up 12 points in them, so the offense he drives is already missing. Demidov has just 2 games this season, with a goal and an assist.

Newhook has 3 goals and 3 assists in 15 games. Those aren't star numbers, and he isn't one. Still, when he's playing close to 20 minutes, the Canadiens clearly need him to hold a spot that somebody else was supposed to fill.

It's a problem for a roster this deep in injury questions. Losing a third center-capable forward would leave St-Louis shuffling lines for a team that just dropped a game it had in hand late, and Jacob Fowler faced 47 shots on Tuesday doing his part.

Practice is the first checkpoint today. The next one is Thursday's lineup against Utah, and until it's posted, nobody outside the Canadiens' room knows who is centering what.

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