Montreal Canadiens dealt a further injury blow as yet another key player is ruled out for two weeks
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Mike Matheson will miss two weeks with a lower-body injury, the second time this season the Canadiens defenseman has been sidelined.
The Montreal Canadiens will be without defenseman Mike Matheson for the next two weeks.
The 32-year-old is dealing with a lower-body injury, and it marks the second time this season he has had to step away from the lineup.
Matheson sat out Thursday night's game against the Dallas Stars, and the team said he would be evaluated once it returned to Montreal.
News of the two-week timeline followed on Saturday, as passed along by Eric Engels of Sportsnet.
A frustrating start for the veteran
He already missed four games earlier this month with a lower-body injury, so this latest absence will test Montreal's blue line depth once again.
It's unclear whether this is a flare-up of the earlier problem or something new.
When he's in the lineup, Matheson has been a major piece of the back end.
He has one goal and three assists through eight games while averaging nearly 24 minutes a night.
He also picked up two assists in Tuesday's 2-0 win over the St. Louis Blues, so the timing stings.
Who steps in on defense
With Matheson out, 22-year-old Adam Engstrom should get a chance to earn more playing time over the next two weeks.
That is a real opening for a young defenseman to show what he can do while the veteran heals.
Matheson is in the first season of a five-year, $30 million contract that carries a $6 million cap hit, which he signed in November 2025.
Montreal needs him healthy for the long haul, so giving him time now makes sense.
Two stretches on the shelf this early is something Canadiens fans will want to keep a close eye on as the month turns to November.
The hope is that this turns out to be a short-term issue and not one that lingers deep into the season.
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