The long wait to see the Montreal Canadiens full defensive line up just got longer. The Habs are now a defenseman short after David Schlemko sidelined for another three to four weeks after hand surgery in New York to remove a bone fragment.
Canadiens announced that David Schlemko underwent surgery today to remove a bone fragment in his right hand. His recovery is expected to be 3-4 weeks.
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) October 18, 2017
General manager Marc Bergevin acquired Schlemko from the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for a 2019 fifth-round draft pick. As CBS reports, this surgery is just the latest development in what could be described as an ongoing saga.
Ongoing Saga
As the NHL reported, the 30-year-old has been out since the start of training camp. He had been sent down to the AHL’s Laval Rocket on a conditioning assignment on October 13. He played one game with the Habs’ minor-league affiliate. Last week, the Canadiens took him off the injured reserve list. This followed a seemingly successful conditioning stint with the Laval Rocket. Many expected Schlemko would suit up against the Toronto Maple Leafs. This forced the team to waive veteran Mark Streit and ultimately resulted in the mutual termination of Streit’s contract.
Schlemko was not fully healed, however. NHL rules prevent him from going back on the IR until Friday. This forces Montreal to carry an injured player on the 23-man roster. With Streit no longer with the organization, the Habs will likely call-up a player from the minors later this week. It could be Jakob Jerabek, a puck-moving defender with offensive upside.
Missing Out
The Habs will miss out not having Schlemko for another month. He put up two goals and 18 points in 62 games with San Jose. Overall, in a career spanning 360 NHL games, he has scored 17 goals and 87 points. Sam Feder, of Cerebral Puck, suggests Schlemko’s possession numbers and ability to improve his teammate’s play classifies him as a puck-moving defenceman, behind the struggling Jeff Petry and dearly missed Andrei Markov.
Fans will need to wait a bit longer for Schlemko to make his Canadiens debut.
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