Is Weber still a question mark for the Canadiens, Caufield and Kotkaniemi?
It looks like the Montreal Canadiens will have their returning captain for the start of the playoffs, but that’s no guarantee and so it’s impossible to say how effective he will be when he gets there. Needless to say, the Canadiens will need Shea Weber, as well as the return Carey Price and Brendan Gallagher if they have a chance against Toronto. Frankly, almost everyone sees the Canadiens losing this series in five or six games and their injuries are a big part of that.
Canadiens head coach Dominique Ducharme told reporters on Saturday he was “very confident” Weber would return for Game 1 against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday, but other reports suggest Weber is still injured. and that he was not part of the Canadiens practice on Sunday.
Weber skated alone before the Canadiens’ drills and he’s still going their separate ways. Elliotte Friedman reports that Weber used a different stick and shot with the opposite hand during his practice time. All of that doesn’t suggest he’s close to 100%, but Friedman adds that you shouldn’t rule out a guy like Weber. If he can play, he will be there.
Eric Engels tweeted Saturday, “We’ll see what develops over the next few days, after Shea Weber isn’t in training today, but as Brendan Gallagher was talking about him, I would expect him to be ready to go. participate in the first game. . ”
More Canadiens news: Caufield and Kotkaniemi
There is a lot of buzz in Montreal that the Canadiens are making a huge mistake, potentially not playing Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Cole Caufield for Game 1. Both were on the fifth row in training and were wearing gray jerseys. With the Canadians going to need offensive horses for the invaluable playoff experience that comes with these two players, many are in shock that Ducharme would imagine not even playing both.
Specifically, some point out that Caufield was on the 5th row with 4 goals in 10 games while Eric Staal is on the 3rd row with 5 goals in 53 games is incredibly short-sighted.
