Montreal Canadiens forward Matthew Peca is expected to miss the next six weeks with a knee injury, the team announced Thursday.
Peca suffered a lower-body injury during Montreal’s 4-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Dec. 10, when he got tangled up in the neutral zone with Penguins star centre Evgeni Malkin, and was forced to leave the game.
The 26-year-old has been held without a point in four games with the Canadiens this season, but has collected 11 points in 18 games with Montreal’s AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket.
Earlier on Thursday, the Canadiens also reassigned Ryan Poehling to the Rocket.
The move, according to Sportsnet’s Eric Engels, is likely salary cap gymnastics and — unless Paul Byron, who has been sidelined with a knee injury since Nov. 15, is ready to return — he will probably be back with the Canadiens for Saturday’s game against the Detroit Red Wings.
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