Canadian: Jayden Struble recalled, Rafaël Harvey-Pinard on the injured list

This morning (9:30 a.m.), the Canadiens are training in Brossard in preparation for their trip to California. The first game of the big trip is Wednesday night, against the Ducks in Anaheim.

Naturally, we wanted to keep an eye on the injured players and whether the Habs would be adding depth… and obviously, they have.

This morning in Brossard, Jayden Struble was seen skating with the others. This means he’s been recalled to the NHL for the Montreal Canadiens’ trip.

Reminder: he’s never played in the NHL.

Subsequently, the Canadiens confirmed that it was due to an injury to Rafaël Harvey-Pinard that the club was able to free up a roster spot for the American defenseman.

This explains why.

The point is, with uncertainty on the blue line, the Canadiens needed reinforcements. That means the Habs now have eight defensemen up top, according to Cap Friendly.

Which eight?

• Mike Matheson
• Jordan Harris
• Gustav Lindstrom
• Justin Barron
• Kaiden Guhle
• Arber Xhekaj
• Johnathan Kovacevic
• Jayden Struble

Arber Xhekaj didn’t play in Saturday’s game and Jordan Harris, who did play on Saturday, missed Thursday’s game. Does this mean they can’t play on Wednesday? Not necessarily, no.

What it does mean, however, is that both are uncertain cases.

Details to follow…