Chris Kreider’s exit from the Canadiens’ 5-2 win over the Bruins has now turned into a much bigger problem for Montreal.
The veteran winger was hurt in the third period when Boston’s Michael Eyssimont landed on Kreider’s leg. Kreider got back to his feet, but he left the ice without putting weight on his left leg. The update that followed made the situation even more difficult for the Canadiens: he will be out for six to eight weeks.
That kind of timeline lands hard for a team already dealing with a pile of injury questions. Josh Anderson and Jake Evans had recently raised concerns ahead of the Wild game, Ivan Demidov is still out with an ankle injury, and even captain Nick Suzuki doesn’t appear to be at 100% right now.
Kreider had just started to settle in after a slow start. Over his last seven games, he had two goals and three assists, which made the timing of this setback especially frustrating for Montreal.
If the Canadiens stay internal, Florian Xhekaj and Owen Beck are the most obvious names to step in. Xhekaj could move onto the left wing with Evans and Anderson, giving that line more energy and some bite in the bottom six.
But the gap in experience is obvious. Xhekaj has only 12 NHL games under his belt, while Kreider has played 977.
Beck has appeared in 6 games this season and has one goal and two assists.
Montreal has gotten useful production elsewhere, especially from Anderson, who has 8 goals in 18 games. That becomes even more valuable now that Kreider is set to miss significant time.
Still, what the Canadiens lose goes beyond scoring. Kreider brings leadership and playoff experience, and his postseason résumé is substantial: 50 goals in 135 career playoff games.
A trade is one path, but free agency is another. Vladimir Tarasenko remains available, and he put up 23 goals and 24 assists in 75 games last season.
He also has Stanley Cup rings from 2019 with St. Louis and 2024 with Florida, which could matter for a Canadiens team trying to push deeper into the playoffs.
With Montreal set to host the Avalanche tonight and Kreider now officially sidelined for six to eight weeks, the Canadiens may have to start looking outside the room for help.
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Canadiens Hot Streak Meets A Growing Injury Concern
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For a club that has kept winning through the stretch, the concern is less about what has already happened than what happens if the wear starts to catch up. Montreal has been able to keep its momentum despite the bumps, but the injury picture is getting crowded enough that every update now carries a little more weight. [Read more 🡒]