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Encouraging scene in Brossard as two injured Canadiens return to the ice
Mike Matheson was back on the ice in Brossard Friday morning, a positive sign for Montreal.
Recovering from an upper-body injury, the defenseman used the team's day off-after St-Louis cancelled practice-to get back on the ice. He skated at the CN Sports Complex in Brossard and fired a few shots with a staff member.
His status hasn't changed yet, and he remains day-to-day. Matheson missed Tuesday's game against the Philadelphia Flyers and Thursday's game against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Internally, they continue to treat it as an injury to monitor, without rushing anything.
Mike Matheson puts the skates back on in Brossard
At 31 years old, Matheson is still a major piece in the lineup when available. This season, he has played 32 games, with 4 goals and 12 assists for 16 points. He also averages just over 24 min of ice time per game, the highest on the team.
Contract-wise, he just signed a five-year, 30-million extension from 2026-2027 through 2030-2031. That gives him an annual salary of 6 million on that deal. At the moment, he is completing the final season of his contract at 4.875 million per year.
Renaud Lavoie suggested earlier this week that Matheson's absence was precautionary. The Canadiens obviously do not want to stretch out a situation that can be managed day-to-day. It remains a matter of timing, especially at this point in the schedule.
"Matheson, for his part, was practicing like a regular player under the supervision of Adam Nicholas and did not appear to have any limitations.
It would be very surprising if he is not back in the lineup tomorrow against the Pittsburgh Penguins and Sidney Crosby." - Patrick Guillet
It would be very surprising if he is not back in the lineup tomorrow against the Pittsburgh Penguins and Sidney Crosby." - Patrick Guillet
Kaiden Guhle also skated; he has been sidelined for quite some time. His return to play is expected between January 9 and 23, according to the club's timeline.
"Kaiden Guhle and Mike Matheson are on the ice this morning in Brossard." - Patrick Guillet
Among other injured players, Kirby Dach also took a few strides in Brossard recently. The 24-year-old forward is working his way back from a foot fracture. This season, he has 7 points in 15 games, including 5 goals, and is signed at 3,362,500 per year.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 19 | 478 ANSWERS Encouraging scene in Brossard as two injured Canadiens return to the ice Which return excites you the most for the Canadiens? | ||