David Schlemko’s debut in a Canadiens uniform has been delayed once again. The team announced on Wednesday that he has undergone surgery to remove a bone fragment in his hand and will miss the next three-to-four weeks.
The injury was initially sustained at the beginning of training camp and the healing process has been slower than anyone expected. It was hoped that he’d get into some preseason games but that didn’t happen. Then it was hoped that he’d be ready for the season opener but he wasn’t green-lit then either.
Schlemko was finally cleared to play last week and got into one game with Laval (where he assisted on the game-winning goal from Daniel Carr on Friday). He was subsequently recalled to Montreal and activated off injured reserve although the team held him out of the lineup on Saturday against Toronto to not put him in a back-to-back situation. However, he didn’t make the trip out West and now we know why.
It will be interesting to see if the team opts to recall someone from the Rocket. Joe Morrow didn’t fare particularly well in his season debut on Tuesday against the Sharks while Jordie Benn has had some ups-and-downs in the early going as well. Montreal now has a roster spot available with the recent release of Mark Streit if they do want to bring another blueliner onto the roster.