Montreal Canadiens defenseman Alexandre Carrier left Friday night’s matchup against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second period. He hit his head and neck against the boards after getting tangled up with Penguins forward Egor Chinakhov. Carrier got up quickly and immediately headed to the Canadiens’ locker room, followed by the team’s equipment manager. Soon after, the team ruled him out with an undisclosed injury.
Carrier’s injury appeared to be to his neck or shoulders. He has lost ice time to upper-body injuries throughout his career – including multiple weeks at the end of the 2025-26 season. He ultimately sat out of nine games last season, leaving his statline to 22 points, 35 hits, and 155 shot blocks in 73 appearances. Despite being limited by injuries, Carrier’s first full season in Montreal’s lineup was a success. He planted his feet as a two-way defenseman capable of filling second-pair minutes. The Canadiens leaned on that ability to rotate Carrier between Lane Hutson and Arber Xhekaj, depending on game script. In either role, Carrier stood as the reliable safety net that supported his partner – either Montreal’s top offensive-defenseman or their go-to enforcer.
The Canadiens could face a challenge for how to replace Carrier if he needs to miss extended time. Third-pair left-defender Jayden Struble appeared in spot minutes next to Hutson last season and could be the preferred option to move up to the second-pair. That shift would move extra defender Adam Engstrom onto a pairing with Xhekaj for his first game of the season. Engstrom recorded one assist in 15 NHL games last season to go with 10 goals and 34 points in 45 AHL games. Should Montreal be looking to keep defenders on their strong side, they could also call-up right-defender David Reinbacher, who recorded one point and 14 penalty minutes through the first two games of the AHL season.