The Montreal Canadiens will be without Tom Gilbert for the rest of the season after the defenseman injured his left knee.
According to NHL.com, the team announced the news on Monday night that Gilbert will need surgery on his left knee, which will keep him out for the rest of the season. Gilbert originally injured his knee on Friday against the Philadelphia Flyers, and the team said to the media that he was "day-to-day" with the injury. After meeting with doctors on Monday, it was determined that Gilbert would need surgery on his knee.
Gilbert has been mentioned in trade talks this season, and he was expected to be one of the top targets as a "rental" player at the deadline, according to Arpon Basu at NHL.com. Gilbert previously missed 14 games earlier in the season with a lower-body injury, and now he will be done for the remainder of the year. Gilbert is heading towards unrestricted free agency, and with the Canadiens not expected to sign him back, many teams were interested in Gilbert as a trade target.
The Canadiens have been dealing with numerous injury issues on the back line, including to defensemen Nathan Beaulieu and Jeff Petry. According to the CBC, Petry has missed six straight games, and is not expected to play for the team on Wednesday night against the Capitals. The website also reports that Nathan Beaulieu will be out with a lower-body injury, and that he did not make the trip to Washington with the team.
The Canadiens have struggled during the middle stretch of the season after getting off to the hottest start in the league to the 2015-16 campaign. The team is not currently in playoff position, and they are seven points back of the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.
