yardbarker
The Montreal Canadiens have disclosed that forward Ivan Demidov is expected to miss two to four weeks of action because of a lower-body injury.
Although the club has not officially pinpointed the moment of injury, speculation suggests that the 20-year-old suffered the ailment during his team's 3-2 overtime triumph against the Ottawa Senators on September 24 in the Kraft Hockeyville Game held in Trois-Rivières, Quebec.
Since that contest, Demidov has participated in three therapy days, the most recent coming on Monday as the team geared up for its home opener Tuesday night against the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes.
In two games this season, Demidov has recorded one goal and one assist while skating on the right wing alongside center Alex Newhook and winger Juraj Slafkovsky.
With Demidov taking a therapy day on Monday, forward Kirby Dach filled his spot on the right wing, skating with Newhook and Slafkovsky. Through two games this season, Dach has one assist.
Due to Demidov's absence, rookie forward Florian Xhekaj will enter the lineup after taking regular reps on the fourth line with center Jake Evans and winger Josh Anderson during Monday's practice. He will make his 2026-27 regular-season debut.
On Monday, forwards Oliver Kapanen and Alexandre Texier split time on the right wing, skating with center Phillip Danault and left winger Zach Bolduc. However, it appears Kapanen is not yet ready to make his 2026-27 regular-season debut.
Instead, Texier will stay in the lineup and skate on the left wing with Danault at center and Bolduc on the right.
Here is the projected lineup for the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night against the Hurricanes: Forwards: Cole Caufield – Nick Suzuki – Chris Kreider; Juraj Slafkovsky – Alex Newhook – Kirby Dach; Alexandre Texier – Phillip Danault – Zach Bolduc; Florian Xhekaj – Jake Evans – Josh Anderson. Defense: Mike Matheson – Noah Dobson; Lane Hutson – Alexandre Carrier; Jayden Struble – Arber Xhekaj. Goalies: Jakub Dobes, Samuel Montembeault.
Originally reported by yardbarker.