SHOP: Blue Canadiens Bomber Jacket
Prior to the start of practice, the team announced that forward Jean-Sebastien Dea has been called up from the Laval Rocket and assigned to the taxi squad.
Here are the players who hit the ice:
Coming back from COVID
Eight players on the ice -- Dauphin, Hoffman, Lehkonen, Chiarot, Savard, Wideman, Allen and Montembeault -- were notably back from COVID-19 protocol, some for the first time since mid-December.
"It's great to have everyone back -- well mostly everyone," acknowledged Nick Suzuki, as several Habs still remain absent. "I haven't seen some of the guys in a while, so it was nice catching up and good to see them back on the ice with us."
Among the absentees, Jeff Petry will travel back to Montreal from the United States on Monday and return to practice on Tuesday. Cayden Primeau for his part will join the team in Boston ahead of Wednesday's game.
On the infirmary front, head coach Dominique Ducharme confirmed that the four players in no-contact jerseys -- Anderson, Armia, Dvorak and Hoffman -- are day-to-day with injuries, and their statuses for Wednesday are not yet confirmed.
Brendan Gallagher meanwhile is feeling better but does not have an update on his timeline to return, and Tyler Toffoli skated solo following the main session.
Update on Price
Although Carey Price was at the Bell Sports Complex on Sunday, he did not hit the ice for a solo session, as he had earlier in December.
"He's continuing his treatments. Obviously today was the first day that the players could come back to the facility, so our training staff had a lot of evaluations to do -- not just with COVID cases but also in terms of injuries," explained Ducharme. "So, I'll have more news in the next few hours, because there are a lot of things to determine in terms of where each player is at exactly, health-wise."
Video: Dominique Ducharme on the health status of his team
The Canadiens bench boss indicated Price is likewise awaiting a meeting with his doctor in New York, but did not rule out a return to play this season despite the delays.
"No one had indicated to me that Carey will not play this season, so, like we discussed from the start, he has a number of steps to go through," continued Ducharme. "Of course, with the time that we missed here, unable to even access the facility, it's therapy and training time that he and other players lost."
In the meantime, Price continues to have the support of his teammates, regardless of timelines.
"I wouldn't say it's frustrating, I think we're just there for Carey. We all want what's best for him, and if he needs to take time to get back to 100% then that's totally fine," described Suzuki. "He's our top player and he's been the top player in this organization for a long time. He deserves to take the time that he needs, and whenever he's ready to come back we'll be happy to see him. He's doing all the right things right now, and if we get him back, we get him back."
