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According to the Montreal Canadiens, Josh Gorges underwent surgery on Monday morning to repair a fracture in his left hand, the result of a blocked shot against the Toronto Maple Leafs, and will be out for approximately another four weeks.
Losing Gorges for that long is a big blow to the Canadiens, especially with Carey Price already sidelines with an undisclosed lower body injury for an undisclosed amount of time. Gorges is third among Habs defensemen in ice time at 21:13 per game, and his time out so far has seen Alexei Emelin jump from 18 minutes per game to 22 minutes per game.
Considering how atrocious Emelin's play has been this season, the acquisition of Mike Weaver is now more important than previously imagined.
While not as much of a minutes eater as Gorges, Weaver brings a similar skillset, being fairly mobile, adept at winning puck battles along the boards, and a solid shot blocker.
No matter how you spin it though, this is some rough news for Montreal.