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The Canadiens currently have several players on the injured list. In particular, the team is without Ivan Demidov, Samuel Montembeault, Mike Matheson, and Florian Xhekaj.
Oliver Kapanen and Kaiden Guhle, meanwhile, are back after missing the start of the season.
Naturally, the question now is when the Canadiens' injured players will be able to return. And on that note, it's worth taking a look at the timelines provided by the club regarding its injured players.
As for Demidov, he was expected to return sometime between October 20 and November 3. And even though our colleague Maxime Truman reported that a return early in that window is possible, he clearly won't be ready to return as early as tomorrow, October 20.
The Habs play again on Friday night (October 23). We'll see if the Russian can return by then.
As for injuries on the #CH roster…
– On October 6, we learned that Ivan Demidov would be out for 2 to 4 weeks. So, he would be ready to return between October 20 and November 3. The best-case scenario was a return tomorrow night, but that doesn't seem likely.
– On October 9, we learned that Samuel Montembeault would be out for 10 to 14 days. It's been 10 days as of today. So, theoretically, he should be ready to play by Sunday night at the latest. It'll be interesting to see how the CH manages its goaltenders to avoid a three-way rotation once Montembeault is healthy.
– Mike Matheson is still listed as “day-to-day.” Florian Xhekaj should be back in about ten days. Both players skated together this morning.
Stay tuned!
#Habs #Canadiens
— Marc-Olivier Beaudoin (@MOBeaudoin1) October 19, 2026
As for Montembeault, he was expected to return sometime between October 19 and October 23. Will he be an option starting this weekend? We'll see.
Matheson, who skated this morning, is day-to-day, according to the team. Renaud Lavoie seemed confident that he'll be back sooner rather than later… but seeing him skate separately from the group with Florian Xhekaj (who still has about ten days to go) is probably a sign that the Quebec-born defenseman won't play tomorrow.
The fact that the Canadiens will have a two-day break between Tuesday's game and Friday's could mean that some players will be back in time to face the Blackhawks on Friday. Florian Xhekaj won't be there… but the other three, theoretically, have a chance of being ready if we go by the initial timeline.
Except we know that timelines like these can change as the recovery progresses, you know…
In a nutshell
– Nice.
Ivan Demidov on his friend and Habs teammate Jakub Dobes:
“Jakub is a great guy; I like spending time with him. He's so funny—he makes me laugh all the time.” https://t.co/FjFHioK8Rs
— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) October 19, 2026
– The Habs are among several teams with a scout at tonight's Leafs-Sharks game.
The Leafs have been looking to add depth to their defense since the summer.
As the search and talks continue, 18 teams have scouts or representatives at tonight's Sharks-Leafs game: LA, DET (2), CGY, EDM, FLA, STL, VGK, COL, NYR, CBJ, PHI, WPG, WAS, TB, NYI, MTL, VAN, DAL
— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) October 19, 2026
– Read more.
The NHL's Slow Efforts to Better Market Its Top Players – By @MAGodin
https://t.co/kEGVKEsNMA
— Radio-Canada Sports (@RC_Sports) October 19, 2026
