Montreal Canadiens head coach Dominique Ducharme says that forward Mike Hoffman will not play in the team's season-opener on Saturday night but could play on Tuesday or Thursday. 

The Canadiens face the San Jose Sharks Tuesday night and the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday, all at the Bell Centre. 

Hoffman, 31, sustained a lower-body injury during the off-season and did not participate in training camp or appear in any preseason games. 

The Kitchener, Ont. native signed a three-year, $13.5 million contract with the Canadiens as a free agent this summer. He had 17 goals and 36 points in 52 games with the St. Louis Blues in 2020-21. 

The Canadiens are 0-2 to start the 2021-22 campaign.