It was ultimately a right wrist injury that kept Jonathan Drouin out of the game. This was announced by the Canadiens’ vice-president of communications, Chantal Machabée, at the end of Friday’s practice, at Brossard.
Posted at 12:58 p.m.
The duration of his absence is undetermined at this time.
Mme Machabée clarified that it is the right wrist this time. In November 2019, Drouin had surgery on his left wrist. This injury, however, had long-term consequences. In April 2021, a few weeks before he was absent for mental health issues, Drouin had mentioned this old injury to explain the fact that he had only two goals.
“It is sure that I do not have the wrist that I had before, he had said. There’s no pain or anything bothering me, but I’d be lying if I said it’s back to how it was. »
It is impossible to know if this injury will require an operation. Habs head coach Dominique Ducharme exceptionally did not speak to the media after practice.
Of the players deemed healthy, there were three absent from main training. Defender David Savard was granted time off to receive treatment. Goalkeeper Samuel Montembeault practiced alone with goalkeeper coach Éric Raymond after the main session. Michael McNiven was also absent, he who was part of the reserve team at the latest news. His absence is all the more intriguing as the team had to resolve to install a practice target (the good old “Shooter Tutor”) in one of the two goals during the exercise.
For the rest, M.me Machabée announced the following updates.
Joel Edmundson: lower back injury. The duration of his absence also remains indefinite. “He is progressing very slowly,” said Chantal Machabée, about the defender who has not yet played this season.
PHOTO BERNARD BRAULT, PRESS ARCHIVES
Joel Edmundson will be out indefinitely with a lower back injury.
Matthieu Perreault: lower body injury. Absence of three to four weeks.
Christian Dvorak: upper body injury, but “it’s not a concussion”, we specify. He has been placed on the injured list and there is talk of an absence until the break of the all-star game next week.
Cole Caufield and Joel Armia: the two attackers are expected in Montreal at the end of the afternoon. They have been training in Wisconsin for the past few days while waiting to be able to return to Canada, following their positive test for COVID-19 during the last trip.