The Montreal Canadiens announce minutes before noon that Alexei Emelin will not play again this season, as the awkward fall he took against the Bruins on Saturday night has resulted in a torn ligament in his left knee.
The news comes as a bit of a shock to some, who were hoping that Emelin had just suffered a bad charlie horse when he attempted to hit Milan Lucic and Lucic got his knee up.
It’s assumed that Emelin will require surgery to repair the damage, which is usually a 6 month recovery time, meaning he could return for the beginning of next season, but may miss training camp. Emelin’s defense partner and fellow Russian Andrei Markov, knows exactly how this feels. He should be able to guide Emelin through his recovery period.
Bad injury news comes just as Rene Bourque looks set to return, as he joined Jeff Halpern and Travis Moen on the 4th line today at practice for line rushes, and he may play against Washington on Tuesday.
Raphael Diaz is still on track, but he could be weeks away, meaning that Davis Drewiske moves up with Andrei Markov, and Nathan Beaulieu will attempt to carry Francis Bouillon. The depth on the Canadiens blueline is set to undergo a true test, as the acquisition of Drewiske looks more and more prescient.
Which defensemen outside the top 3 will pick up the most slack with Emelin out?
| Davis Drewiske | 129 |
| Francis Bouillon | 49 |
| Nathan Beaulieu | 42 |
