The Montreal Canadiens have announced forward Mathieu Perreault will miss two to three weeks due to an eye injury.

Dominique Ducharme annonce que Mathieu Perreault est blessé et manquera 2 à 3 semaines de jeu. Adam Brooks sera dans l'alignement à Anaheim.

Dominique Ducharme says that Mathieu Perreault will miss 2 to 3 weeks with an eye injury. Adam Brooks will be in the lineup in Anaheim.

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) October 31, 2021

Perreault Sidelined For Two to Three Weeks

During the pregame press conference in Anaheim on Sunday, Montreal’s head coach Dominique Ducharme said the injury is something that developed with time. He added that Perreault saw a doctor on Saturday.

The veteran player signed a one-year deal with the Canadiens in July after spending seven years playing for the Winnipeg Jets. He was drafted 177th overall in the 2006 NHL Draft by the Washington Capitals, where he played for four years. The 33-year-old spent a season with the Anaheim Ducks before signing a contract with the Jets in 2014. Perreault is currently tied at first with Mike Hoffman for goals and is fourth in points.

Coach Ducharme said Adam Brooks will replace Perreault in the lineup on Sunday against the Ducks. He also added that defenceman Jeff Petry and forward Brendan Gallagher will be game-time decisions.

What This Means For The Future

Montreal will now have to find a way to replace Perreault’s presence for the next few weeks. He was having a decent start of the season for them, scoring four points in eight games playing in the third line with Tyler Toffoli and Cole Caufield. For the game on Sunday, Brooks will take Perreault’s role. However, he is not the best option to replace the veteran.

Now, the Habs have a few options. If Jake Evans continues to improve in his recovery from an injury, he can take part of the time Perreault will miss. Cedric Paquette could also replace him in short term but he isn’t as talented and that can be a failed experiment for them. They could call someone up from their AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket, and give a prospect like Ryan Poehling the chance to help the team. Whoever the chosen one is, Perreault’s absence will still be felt by their team.

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