The Montreal Canadiens will be without their captain for Friday night’s game against the Winnipeg Jets. Shea Weber is out with an upper-body injury, and Erik Gustafsson steps in for him.
Shea Weber (haut du corps) s’absentera du match de ce soir contre les Jets. Erik Gustafsson intégrera la formation.
Shea Weber (upper body) won’t play in tonight’s game against the Jets. Erik Gustafsson will be in the lineup.
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) April 30, 2021
Shea Weber out against the Jets
It is unclear as to how Weber got hurt. He played 21:48 in the team’s previous game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday night. Erik Gustafsson, who Montreal traded for at the deadline from the Philadelphia Flyers, draws in. He had 10 points in 24 games with the Flyers and has two points in three games with the Canadiens.
This is the first time Weber has missed a game this season. The 35-year-old defenceman plays in all situations and averages 22:42 minutes a night, the most on the team. In 48 games, Weber has six goals, 13 assists for 19 points, 10th on the team in scoring and second among defencemen. His Corsi For percentage is 53.0, 11th on the team among regular players.
Weber joins Brendan Gallagher, Tomas Tatar, Paul Byron and Carey Price on the team’s injured list. Jonathan Drouin is also away from the team for personal reasons. The Canadiens have played 17 games this month because of scheduling changes due to their 10-day break dealing with Covid protocols at the end of March.
Weber is in his 16th NHL season. He was drafted 49th overall in the 2003 draft by the Nashville Predators. Weber played 11 seasons in Nashville and was their captain for six seasons. In the summer of 2016, Weber was traded to the Canadiens for P.K Subban. He is in his fifth season with Montreal and has been their captain for three years.
What This Means for the Canadiens
Weber’s absence is a tough loss to overcome for the Canadiens. He is one of their most important players and the leader of the team. Montreal’s injuries have impacted their forwards and goaltending until now, so they have depth on defence to better overcome Weber’s loss. Jeff Petry will be the bonafide number one defenceman, and everyone else will slot after him. If this is a short-term injury, the Canadiens should be fine. It is longer than they have to overcome another loss to a crucial player on the team. Montreal has a four-point advantage on the Calgary Flames for the final playoff spot in the North Division, with a game in hand coming into Friday’s games. The odds are in their favour to get in, but it will be much more difficult without Weber.
