Evans was missing from Monday's practice and is questionable to play on Tuesday. Adam Brooks skated in his spot at practice and would likely replace him in the lineup if Evans is unable to play.
Blais missed Thursday's game vs. the Stars but will be back in the lineup tonight in Montreal. Blais will replace Ryan Strome, who is on the COVID-19 protocol list.
The Avalanche are likely going to be without Nathan MacKinnon (COVID), Valeri Nichushkin (upper-body) and Gabriel Landeskog (suspension) on Saturday, so sending Newhook to the AHL opens up enough cap space to recall multiple forwards to fill the voids. Stefan Matteau and Dylan Sikura were recalled.
Matheson is dealing with a nagging lower-body injury and will miss the Penguins season opener in Tampa Bay. With Matheson out, Mark Friedman will draw into the lineup.
Suzuki is entering the final year of his entry-level contract and will get a huge raise next season, going from $863.3K AAV to $7.875M AAV. With Philip Danault now in Los Angeles, Suzuki will be tasked with playing major minutes in 2021-22, as he looks to build on his 60-point pace from a season ago.
According to a post by Price's wife on Instagram, Carey is taking a step back to focus on his mental health. We wish Price all the best and hope to see him back on the ice soon. While he's away, Jake Allen will become the Canadiens' No.1 netminder and Cayden Primeau/Samuel Montembeault will work behind him.
Things did not go well for Laine after he was traded to the Blue Jackets, scoring 10 goals with 11 assists (21 points) in 45 games--18-goal, 20-assist per 82 game pace. However, Laine should benefit from the Blue Jackets and John Tortorella parting ways and the one-year deal gives him an opportunity to have a bounce-back season and cash in next year.
Lindstrom appeared to have a track to being a full-time NHL player in 2021-22, until Marc Staal signed a one-year extension on Sunday. Still, Lindstrom appeared din 13 NHL games a season ago and should be a factor with both the Red Wings and Griffins (AHL) next season.
Allard spent most of the season in the AHL but made his season debut with the Predators in 2021. The 23-year-old, former third-round pick had 18 points (3G / 15A) in 25 games with Chicago (AHL) and will likely be a fringe roster player for the Predators in 2021-22.
After reports of potentially career-ending knee and hip injuries, the Canadiens received some great news on Price's status this week. He will not need surgery on his hip but underwent surgery on his knee and is expected to be ready for training camp next year. After a tough regular season, Price turned in a stellar postseason, going 13-9 with a 2.28 GAA and .924 SV%.
Blais has been a fixture of the Blues' bottom-6 over the last three seasons and likely won't be able to expand on that role with the Rangers. He doesn't offer a lot of offence, posting a career-high of just 15 points (8G / 7A) in 36 games a season ago. The Rangers have plenty of capable top-9 forwards, so expect Blais to be a fourth-liner to start 2021-22.
