Alexandre Carrier: out for two to four weeks

We now know why Adam Engstrom was called up.

Alexandre Carrier, who hasn't missed a single game since joining the Canadiens, is injured. He'll be out for two to four weeks due to an upper-body injury.

The Habs made the announcement.

Defenseman Alexandre Carrier will be sidelined for 2 to 4 weeks due to an upper-body injury

Defenseman Alexandre Carrier will be out for 2 to 4 weeks due to an upper-body injury pic.twitter.com/HyAGYIO9No

— Montreal Canadiens (@CanadiensMTL) March 31, 2026

Carrier has been heavily relied upon since his arrival from Nashville in 2024. But he is a smaller defenseman who takes a lot of hits and gets injured too often.

This time, his injury is keeping him out of the lineup. In the 2025 playoffs, it's unclear whether he would have missed any games, as the Habs were already eliminated by the time he got hurt.

Naturally, with one year left on his contract and this news, it will cast doubt on his long-term future with the club. Will the Habs want to offer him another deal when Kaiden Guhle is also a defenseman who puts himself on the line on the ice?

Two of the same mold is too many.

For now, the loss of Carrier will hurt a defense that isn't perfect—even if the Quebec native isn't having the season of his career.

Adam Engstrom, a left-handed player who plays on the right, should see regular ice time. I don't see him returning to Laval anytime soon, unless things go badly for him. David Reinbacher will have to hold down the fort at the point.

Of note here, should this go the distance for the full four-week term, Adam Engstrom could be retained on the main roster for the playoffs.

David Reinbacher is going to be relied upon heavily in Laval moving forward.

— Marco D'Amico (@mndamico) March 31, 2026

Two to four weeks means the Quebec native is likely to miss the rest of the regular season, which ends in two weeks. Will he be there for the playoffs?

That remains to be seen.

overtime

Will Josh Anderson, who was too sick to play on Sunday, be back in his spot tonight? We'll see in due time. Otherwise, Arber Xhekaj may play on offense again since Kirby Dach and Alexandre Texier are still injured.

And we're not even talking about Patrik Laine, obviously.