Montreal Canadiens forward Jonathan Drouin underwent successful wrist surgery on Monday and will be out for a minimum of eight weeks, it was announced on Tuesday.
The team had placed Drouin on injured reserve on Saturday and said the 24-year-old sustained the injury during the third period of Friday's 5-2 win over the Washington Capitals.
Drouin took a huge open-ice hit from Alex Ovechkin in the second period of that game, but the team claims Drouin suffered the wrist injury after he had returned from concussion protocol.
SMOKED. pic.twitter.com/9eMP5QD0K3
— NBC Sports Capitals (@NBCSCapitals) November 16, 2019
Drouin's loss serves a huge blow to a Montreal team that finds itself second in the Atlantic Division through Nov. 18; his 15 points in 19 games played had put him on pace for a 64-point season, which would serve as a career-high. The forward entered Friday's game tied for the team's overall scoring lead with Tomas Tatar, who scored four points against the Capitals.
The Canadiens also announced that alternate captain Paul Byron underwent knee surgery on Tuesday and is expected to miss four weeks. Byron's injury appears to stem from a collision with Washington's Richard Panik in that same game. The 30-year-old forward did not play in Saturday's contest against the New Jersey Devils.
Here was the play involving Paul Byron / Richard Panik pic.twitter.com/LOruBdE6Yc
— Here's Your Replay ⬇️ (@HeresYourReplay) November 16, 2019
In Drouin's absence, the Canadiens recalled forward Charles Hudon from their AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket. Hudon recorded under seven minutes and 55 seconds of ice time in Saturday's game and recorded one shot on goal.