Habs' Suzuki expected to return within a week; Edmundson still out indefinitely
Published
Montreal Canadiens forward Nick Suzuki is back on the ice while continuing his recovery from a lower-body injury and is expected to be return to action within the week.
The team said last week their newly-appointed captain was expected to miss about two weeks. Head coach Martin St. Louis previously said he suffered his injury preparing for training camp.
Suzuki, who signed an eight-year, $63 million extension last October, tallied 21 goals and 40 helpers in 82 games last season.
The Canadiens also announced Monday that defenceman Joel Edmundson is making progress on his recovery from a lower-body injury but remains out indefinitely.
Edmundson, 29, made his 2021-22 season debut on March 12 and appeared in just 24 games after being sidelined with a back injury. When asked last week if Edmundson's current absence is related to his ailment from last year, St. Louis only reaffirmed that Edmundson was currently dealing with a "lower-body injury" and the medical staff was in the process of gathering more information.
Meanwhile, defenceman Madison Bowey is day-to-day with an unspecified injury. He appeared in two games last season with the Vancouver Canucks and joined Montreal on a one-year deal this past July.
Habs pre-season begins on Monday
The Canadiens will play their first official pre-season game Monday night as they take on New Jersey Devils at the Bell Centre.
Those expected to be in the lineup include Cole Caufield, No. 1 overall pick Juraj Slavkovsky, Kirby Dach and newly-acquired defenceman Mike Matheson with Jake Allen getting the nod in net.
Here are the expected lines for according to TSN's John Lu:
Caufield - Beck - Hoffman
Pitlick - Dach - Slafkovsky
Harvey-Pinard - Mesar - Richard
Pezzetta - Mysak - Roy
Matheson - Barron
Guhle - Harris
Fairbrother - Norlinder
Allen
Primeau
Viewers in the Canadiens region can watch it LIVE on TSN2, TSN.ca and the TSN App starting at 7:00 p.m. ET.