Joe Veleno

The Canadiens' Alexandre Texier sits out Tuesday with his nagging lower-body injury, marking another game lost in what feels like a revolving door of absences for Montreal's depth chart. Joe Veleno steps in to fill the void, but whispers from the front office hint at Laval recalls if this drags on through the stretch run. With Texier's speed and middle-six grit crucial to their push, every missed shift raises the stakes on how Kent Hughes manages this thin forward group.

The Canadiens keep Alexandre Texier on the shelf Tuesday, nursing what sources whisper is a nagging lower-body tweak that's testing Montreal's depth chart early. Martin St. Louis scratches his head over lineup juggling with Veleno stepping up, but whispers from the trainer's room hint this could linger into the week. With the Habs pushing for every point in the standings, his absence spotlights how thin that forward group runs when injuries strike.