Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jake Allen and defenceman Justin Barron will be lost for the remainder of the season with injuries, the team announced Tuesday.
"It's unfortunate that his season is over, but he kept us in games with the hockey he played and he helped us win," said interim coach Martin St. Louis of Allen. "I was able to see what level he was able to play, and it was impressive."
Allen left Saturday's 3-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first period. The netminder had previously missed eight weeks of action with a lower-body injury. St. Louis told reporters on Tuesday that his season-ending injury was a separate issue, and the team announced it as a groin injury.
Barron will also miss the remainder of the season, with an ankle injury. The 20-year-old had been made eligible for the Laval Rocket's AHL playoff run but will not participate and instead wait until Canadiens training camp to return.
"It's part of the game," St. Louis said about Barron. "We can't control the circumstances that happened with (Barron), but I'm happy with what we saw from the small sample size. That sample size will help him in training camp."
The Canadiens also announced that forward Emil Heineman had reported to Montreal but there is no timeline for his Habs debut. The Swede is undergoing treatment for an upper-body injury.
The Canadiens acquired Heineman – as well as Tyler Pitlick, a 2022 first-round pick and a 2023 fifth-round pick – in the trade that sent Tyler Toffoli to the Calgary Flames on Feb. 14.
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