Shea Weber undergoes Season-Ending Foot Surgery

Shea Weber has missed 43 games since suffering a foot injury on November 18th, and on Tuesday his season was officially ended. The Canadiens announced Weber underwent surgery to repair tendons in his left foot and is expected to be sidelined for about six months. In 26 games this season, Weber scored six goals and added ten assists while playing over 25 minutes a night. Unfortunately for the Canadiens, the six-month timetable means there’s a possibility Weber won’t be ready for training camp.

Weber’s surgery was done by Dr. Robert Anderson, who performed a similar procedure on Erik Karlsson last June. According to the Canadiens, surgery was required because Weber’s injury didn’t heal as expected, which ironically also delayed the procedure enough to jeopardize Weber’s status for the start of next season.

Given his high usage, Weber’s absence has freed up a lot of extra minutes on the Montreal blueline. Jeff Petry has been the biggest benefactor, putting up 10 goals and 23 assists while playing 23:36 a game, all career highs.

Mike Reilly should also continue to see an expanded role with the Canadiens. Since being acquired by Montreal at the trade deadline, he’s registered five assists in seven games while averaging 22:01 a game. This is by far the biggest opportunity Reilly has seen at the NHL level, with his previous career high in minutes being 13:51. If he continues to see this much usage, Reilly makes for a decent flier in season-long formats and an intriguing punt play in daily fantasy.