The Canadiens have learned that Chris Kreider is expected to miss 6-8 weeks with a lower-body injury, according to NHL Rosters.
That's a tough blow for Montreal on a day the team hosts Colorado tonight. Kreider left Thursday's 5-2 win in Boston without finishing the game, and the Canadiens had been quiet about what happened to him since.
NHL Rosters posted the timeline this morning, and it puts the 35-year-old winger out for a big chunk of the schedule.
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The injury came after a collision with Bruins forward Michael Eyssimont, and Chris Kreider leaving the ice unable to put weight on his leg was the first sign this could be serious. Our report on the knee injury in Boston noted that Montreal had given no word on the severity at that point.
The post calls it a lower-body injury. Montreal hasn't confirmed anything beyond that, and the 6-8 week window is a projection, not a firm return date.
How much will the Canadiens miss Kreider?
Quite a bit, though Montreal is in good shape to absorb it. Kreider has 3 goals and 6 assists in 19 games this season, a modest line, but he's a 6-foot-3, 230-pound forward who has scored 351 goals over his NHL career and brings a net-front presence that is hard to replace.
The Canadiens are 12-3-4 and second in the Atlantic Division, with an 8-0-2 mark over their last 10. Martin St-Louis has a team that is rolling, and that cushion matters when a veteran goes down.
Still, depth will be tested. A 6-8 week absence means Kreider could be out through a large part of the next stretch of games, and someone has to take his minutes and his spot in the lineup. St-Louis hasn't said who gets the first look.
Our Canadiens injury update from Maxime Truman showed Nick Suzuki and another regular were also dealing with injuries. Stack another one on top and the margin for error shrinks quickly.
The loss also hits at a bad moment. Montreal has been one of the best road teams in the league at 7-1-1, and the club needs every veteran it has for the tough part of the schedule. Losing a player with 135 playoff games of experience hurts in the room as well as on the ice.
Colorado visits tonight, and the first look at how St-Louis rearranges his forward group comes at puck drop. Kent Hughes has a decision to make too: ride it out with what he has, or look outside for help.
This article was written with the help of artificial intelligence, based on public reports and official sources.
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