Jonathan Drouin will be a game-time decision for the Canadiens match against Detroit on Saturday, according to head coach Claude Julien.
Drouin didn’t play in the Habs’ previous game, a 6-3 win road game against the Red Wings. On Saturday morning, the forward skated on the fourth line at practice.
On the defence side, Shea Weber took part in practice, skating alongside Jordie Benn. Julien didn’t commit to Weber starting on Saturday night but said “He felt good this morning and once he meets our medical team, we’ll know more.”
Weber has missed the past six games with a lower-body injury, last playing on Nov. 18.
He said that while he felt good, it wasn’t enough to ensure a return to the lineup, even if it were playoff time.
“I don’t know, it’s hard to say. We’re not in that situation and the playoffs represent something else entirely,” he said. “On the other hand, we’re going through a crucial part of our season and I want to play and help my teammates.”
On Saturday, the Habs announced they had placed defecenman Brandon Davidson on waivers. If not claimed by noon on Sunday, he’ll be assigned to the Laval Rocket.
Even with the loss of Davidson, the Canadiens are overstocked on the backend with eight d-men on the roster.
Should Weber play, it’s likely Jakub Jerabek or Victor Mete would join fellow defenceman Joe Morrow in the pressbox.
Julien called the overabundance of defencemen “ a good problem.”
“At the beginning of the season, we didn’t have those options,” he said. “Now, we have them. All our defenders have played well and deserve to play. Unfortunately, you choose six before the game and go with that. It makes for good internal competition, it pushes the players to always play well.”
