Surprise at the Bell Centre as two injured Canadiens forwards return to the ice

It should be recalled that the Canadiens had spoken of an absence of four to six weeks due to a fracture to his right foot. We are now well beyond that timeframe.

This morning, Dach was spotted on the ice for about twenty minutes. He is not yet at the stage of practicing with the others, but at least he is starting to move again on skates. The detail that has people talking is that he is still wearing a therapeutic boot to walk off the ice, which remains unusual.

Before his injury, he had played 15 games this season and had 5 goals and 2 assists for 7 points. He also had a -2 rating at that time. In his NHL career, he has totaled 284 games, with 48 goals and 80 assists for 128 points.

Jake Evans was not far behind in the good news. He also skated this morning at the Bell Centre, but for about ten minutes. His baseline prognosis remains an absence of four to six weeks, following his lower-body injury against the Penguins on December 20.

Evans has still already played 34 games this season, with 5 goals and 5 assists for 10 points. His plus-minus is -13. In his career, he is now at 384 games, 45 goals and 93 assists for 138 points.

Dach is progressing enough to skate, but there is still no clear return to game action on the table. The Canadiens want to bring him back only when he is at 100%, and that is the only promise that matters.

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