Canadiens’ Alexandre Carrier out 2-4 weeks with upper-body injury

An experienced blueliner could be out until the postseason.

On Tuesday, the Montreal Canadiens announced that defenseman Alexandre Carrier is expected to miss the next 2-4 weeks with an upper-body injury.

The team didn’t disclose exactly what happened to Carrier. He was in the lineup for the Canadiens’ game on Sunday against the Carolina Hurricanes, logging 19:05 of ice time across 19 shifts, posting a plus/minus of +1 in a 3-1 win.

The timeline puts Carrier’s status for the remainder of the regular season in question. Montreal has just nine games remaining, with its last game against the Philadelphia Flyers coming exactly two weeks from today. Worst-case scenario, the 29-year-old ends up missing the first couple of games of the Canadiens’ hypothetical first-round series in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Quebec City had played in every game for the Habs so far this season and had been having one of his most productive offensive seasons in a few years. He has scored a career-high seven goals, along with 15 assists for 22 points, just a little behind his career-best 30 points he notched while with the Nashville Predators during the 2021-22 campaign. He last posted a point as a helper against the Hurricanes on March 24, with his last goal occurring when facing the Anaheim Ducks on March 6. Carrier also has a +2 rating while averaging 19:05 of ice time this far.

Carrier had been playing on the third pair with Kaiden Guhle, but had been providing solid minutes for a Canadiens team hoping to earn a second straight berth to the playoffs.

The Canadiens continue their five-game road trip on Tuesday night, facing the Tampa Bay Lightning in a crucial Atlantic Division matchup. Montreal (42-21-10) sits third in the Atlantic, four points back of the Lightning and Buffalo Sabres, who are tied for first.