The Canadiens are still waiting for official word on three injured players, but the latest update suggests one comeback may be much closer than the others.
Marc-Olivier Beaudoin offered fresh timelines on Ivan Demidov, Samuel Montembeault and Nick Suzuki, all of whom remain without a new status update from the team. That silence has become part of the story, especially with the original recovery windows already in play.
Demidov is the name drawing the most attention. The 20-year-old has two points in two games this season, including one goal, and his return is beginning to look imminent.
Beaudoin revisited the club’s earlier projection, which had Demidov coming back somewhere between October 20 and November 3, with that final date lining up with next Tuesday’s matchup against the Jets. There has been no new news since then, but several sources expect him back soon.
A four-week absence would place his return on November 3, and the sense around him is that the finish line is close.
Montembeault’s situation remains murkier. The Canadiens initially said on October 9 that he would be out between October 19 and 23, but that window has now come and gone with no fresh update from the team.
Beaudoin called that strange. One small positive note: the goaltender did skate Tuesday in Brossard.
Suzuki’s timeline stretches farther out, with the team projecting a return between November 5 and 19. Beaudoin is hoping that lands nearer to the earlier end of that range, but he also flagged the possibility that the delayed communication around Demidov and Montembeault could repeat itself here.
For now, the Canadiens are pressing on without them. Montreal sits at 7-3-2 and has won three straight without those players, so the team hasn’t lost any ground while waiting for answers.
The only question now is when the next announcement finally comes. Could an announcement be coming after the game?
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