HabsWorld.net --
The past few days have not been kind to the Habs on the injury front. The team announced that Ryan Poehling is out indefinitely with a concussion while Michael McCarron will miss six weeks with a groin injury.
Poehling sustained the concussion on Wednesday night against Florida after being hit by Dryden Hunt. However, he remained in the game and made the strong play to set up the game-winning shorthanded tally in the third period. Meanwhile, Hunt was assessed a penalty for boarding on the play.
A concussion is never a good thing to have but this has to be a bit more of a crushing blow for the rookie who was certainly in the mix to break camp with the Canadiens. Now, unless he’s back on the ice over the next few days, the safer play would be to have him skate with Laval upon his return and wait for an opportunity to be recalled.
As Poehling spent the final week on Montreal’s roster last season, he will still count in part against Montreal’s salary cap for each day he’s on season-opening injured reserve (SOIR) to start the season. He’ll count at a daily rate of $160.42 (his total earnings last season of $29,839 divided by 186 days).
As for McCarron, the odds of him cracking Montreal’s roster were already pretty low and this all but seals his fate. However, this will open up a window for him to be loaned on a short-term conditioning stint when he gets cleared to return without having to pass through waivers. Unlike Poehling, he won’t count against Montreal’s cap at all as he didn’t spend any time with the Habs last season.
Meanwhile, Paul Byron, who left Thursday’s game early due to injury, did not skate with the Habs on Friday. Elsewhere, prospect Joni Ikonen is slated to miss six months with a leg injury, a tough blow for someone that has had issues staying healthy as of late.