For anyone hoping that three key injured members of the Montreal Canadiens would get back in the lineup quickly following the All-Star break, updates from head coach Claude Julien Sunday will likely put a damper on your spirits. Neither Brendan Gallagher, Jonathan Drouin or Paul Byron will play in the Habs' first game back against the Washington Capitals Monday night.
It isn't all bad news, however. Gallagher, who suffered a concussion on New Year's Eve but did come back to play one game before sitting out again with headaches, should be back this week. Julien also said that Drouin is hoping to get back in the lineup sometime this week as well. Drouin hasn't played since mid-November after injuring his wrist and requiring surgery. He had been having a very good season up to that point, recording 15 points in 19 games.
Unfortunately for Byron, Julien could not offer a timeline for his return other than to say it could be a while yet. Byron also went down in mid-November after injuring his knee. He attempted to skate on December 13th, which apparently set back his recovery time. Byron, like Drouin, also required surgery for his injury.
The Canadiens can ill-afford to have these three out of the lineup, especially Gallagher and Drouin. The team is currently out of a playoff spot and time is running out to get back in. The addition of any of these players should help in the offense department.
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NPQ
