The Montreal Canadiens announced on Tuesday morning that forward Emil Heineman was involved in a car accident and suffered an injury. Heineman was struck by a car while walking in Utah where the team is set to play the Utah Hockey Club tonight. Heineman is expected to miss 3-4 weeks with an upper-body injury. The announcement comes as a big blow to a team that has been rolling since December. The fourth line of Heineman, Jake Evans, and Joel Armia has been a big part of that success. Heineman, 23, has ten goals and seventeen assists in his rookie season for the Canadiens.
Emil Heineman a été impliqué, hier, dans un accident de la route comme piéton. Heineman a subi une blessure au haut du corps et sera absent pour une durée de trois à quatre semaines.
Emil Heineman was involved in a traffic accident yesterday as a pedestrian. Heineman sustained…
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) January 14, 2025
Replacements for Canadiens Emil Heineman Following Injury
Immediate Replacement
The immediate replacement for Emil Heineman will be Michael Pezzetta. The team is currently on the road but is set to return home after Thursday’s game in Dallas. As a result, there is no sense in calling someone up until they return to Montreal. This means that Pezzetta is the only option to replace Heineman in the short term.
Pezzetta was a healthy scratch by head coach Martin St. Louis for 28 straight games. He has since suited up in four contests where he played limited minutes in Patrik Laine‘s absence due to illness. Pezzetta, 26, has 38 career points in 182 games with the Canadiens. He is set to become an unrestricted free agent after the season’s conclusion.
Potential Call-Up Options
The Canadiens have a few options in Laval who can be long-term replacements for Heineman. The first of which is Joshua Roy who already saw time in the NHL this season. Roy was surprisingly cut from the Canadiens camp in October and has spent the bulk of the year in Laval. He has excelled in the minors with 27 points on the year. He was recently named to the AHL All-Star game alongside teammate Logan Mailloux. Roy would be a good option to take over Heineman’s spot on the second power play unit. Heineman’s shot has been a threat from the right dot and Roy could fill that role.
Two other solid options are Alex Barre-Boulet and Owen Beck. Barre-Boulet has the most NHL experience of the three and is nearly a point per game in the minors this season. As for Beck, he is better suited in a centre role but would likely be shifted to the wing if he were called up. Beck has had a great rookie campaign in the AHL however, with 24 points in 34 games.
Emil Heineman Career
Heineman was drafted 43rd overall in the 2020 entry draft by the Florida Panthers. He was then traded to Calgary before ultimately being traded to Montreal as part of the Tyler Toffoli deal. Heineman is signed on an ELC through next season where he will then become a restricted free agent.
Heineman is a solid power-forward option for the Canadiens bottom-six moving forward. His size, speed, and shot have allowed him to be effective in his rookie year thus far. He will be missed by the Canadiens in the short term. Everyone hopes for a speedy recovery for the young forward after a situation that could have been much worse.
Main Photo Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
