The Montreal Canadiens announced via Twitter that forward Jacob de La Rose will not make the trip with the team to Toronto. He was not cleared to travel by the team doctors and will remain in Montreal for ongoing evaluation after having a cardiac episode.

Jacob de La Rose Out After Cardiac Episode

The episode happened after the Montreal Canadiens completed their final pre-season game against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night. The medical staff deemed him not fit to travel as they didn’t want to take any chances. The Canadiens organization did say however that De la Rose’s condition is not serious and is more of a precautionary decision. De La Rose will now be placed on the IR.

The 23-year-old forward played in 55 games for the Canadiens last season. He scored four goals and added eight assists for 12 points. In 119 career games, he has scored eight goals and added 11 assists for 19 points. He was originally drafted by the Canadiens in the second round in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.

What This Means for the Canadiens Moving Forward

It’s an unfortunate turn of events for de la Rose as he was hoping to crack the opening night roster. De La Rose was still in the running for one of the final roster positions as the Habs have to have their roster trimmed to 23 by five o’clock eastern time on Tuesday, October 2nd. With de La Rose on the injured reserve, the Canadiens now do not have to make any more roster moves in order to reach that mark.

It is a great job by the Canadiens doctors in holding de la Rose back. When it comes to heart issues there is nothing worth the risk. The whole hockey world will be hoping for a speedy recovery for the young habs forward.

The Habs will open their season on the road on Wednesday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs.