Noah Dobson Out Week-To-Week, Canadiens Recall David Reinbacher
Montreal Canadiens defenseman Noah Dobson left last night’s loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets with an apparent thumb injury, reports Eric Engels of Sportsnet. Dobson appeared to suffer the injury after blocking a shot, his league-leading 188th blocked shot of the 2025-26 season.
The team announced Sunday morning that Dobson sustained an upper-body injury and would be re-evaluated in two weeks. The team also announced that 2023 No. 5 pick David Reinbacher has been recalled from the Laval Rocket.
The news is a brutal development for a team that, at this moment, looks to be one of the league’s most promising. It’s difficult to overstate just how important Dobson is to the Canadiens.
The 26-year-old has been the Canadiens’ No. 3 defenseman in terms of ice time this season, averaging 22:29 per game. While that puts him behind Mike Matheson and Lane Hutson in Montreal, that’s a number high enough to rank No. 1 or No. 2 on other teams.
Dobson brings an immense amount of value to the Canadiens on a nightly basis, on both ends of the ice. His pairing with Matheson weathers some of the team’s most difficult defensive matchups, and he’s often relied upon when the team is defending a late lead. He’s also a key penalty killer, and he pairs that defensive ability with a strong offensive touch, putting up 12 goals and 47 points in his debut campaign as a Canadien.
Montreal surrendered a high price to the Islanders to acquire Dobson – two first-round picks and a solid NHL-ready young forward in Emil Heineman. The way Dobson has played has more than justified that asset expenditure, as well as the $9.5MM AAV contract extension he received.
But at this moment, Dobson’s value only serves to reinforce just how catastrophic this injury could be to the Canadiens’ hopes of making a deep playoff run. His injury exposes the most significant lineup weakness in Montreal: a lack of capable right-shot defensemen. Veteran Alexandre Carrier has already been sidelined with an injury of his own on a week-to-week basis, meaning that after Dobson’s injury, the Canadiens were left without a single right-shot blueliner in their lineup. Hutson and Arber Xhekaj, both lefties, played on the right side of the team’s defense last night.
Dobson’s injury left Montreal without a single healthy right-shot defenseman on their roster just a few days before the start of the playoffs. That’s not an ideal situation for any team to be in, let alone a club with designs on having an extended stay in the postseason, and it’s why they recalled Reinbacher.
The Canadiens are lucky that several of their left-shot defensemen, namely Hutson, Kaiden Guhle, and rookie Adam Engstrom, have real experience on the right side. But both Hutson and Guhle have also demonstrated that while they can certainly handle playing on the right, both players are not quite as effective when forced to play from that side.
With that said, the Canadiens appear to not have an appetite to dress a defense made up entirely of lefties. As a result, Reinbacher has been recalled. While the Austrian blueliner’s development has been slowed due to injuries, he’s still made steady progress with the Rocket and has emerged as their best all-around defenseman. On another team, it’s entirely possible he’d have been in the NHL already, and with Dobson’s injury, he’ll get the chance to make his NHL debut.
Is it ideal for Reinbacher that he might make his NHL debut in such important, high-stakes games for the Canadiens? Probably not, as it doesn’t leave him much room for error. But this injury to Dobson has forced Montreal’s hand in the matter.
At the very least, it’s not as though Reinbacher is without experience. While he hasn’t yet played in the NHL, he does have considerable experience at the pro level, starting all the way back in 2021-22 when Reinbacher helped EHC Kloten win promotion to the top division of Swiss hockey. He also skated in 13 playoff games for Laval last season, helping the club reach the AHL’s Eastern Conference Finals.
The hope for Montreal will be, undoubtedly, that Dobson’s injury does not end up being as severe as it may have initially looked, and that his absence is limited to just a few games. But if he does indeed miss time on a more extended basis, the impact on the Canadiens will be significant – and all eyes will point to one of the team’s top prospects to help fill the significant hole created in Montreal’s lineup by Dobson’s absence.
Photos courtesy of Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Atlantic Notes: Stolarz, Holinka, Lightning, Ostlund
The Maple Leafs are shutting down goaltender Anthony Stolarz for the final few games of their season after he was injured on Wednesday against Washington, relays David Alter of The Hockey News. On top of that, head coach Craig Berube noted that while surgery isn’t required, the injury could ultimately affect Stolarz’s offseason training plans, which suggests this isn’t a minor issue. After a breakout effort last season that netted him a four-year, $15MM extension in the preseason, it has been a rough year for Stolarz in 2025-26. Injuries have limited him to just 26 appearances while he hasn’t been particularly sharp, putting up a 3.28 GAA and a .893 SV% after having the highest SV% in the NHL in the previous two seasons. Now, it looks like his offseason training could be impacted, adding one more negative note to a year that has had plenty.
More from the Atlantic:
- Still with the Maple Leafs, the AHL Marlies announced (Twitter link) that forward Miroslav Holinka is joining the team. The 20-year-old was a fifth-round pick by Toronto back in 2024 and is coming off a very productive junior season with WHL Edmonton. Holinka played in 59 games with the Oil Kings during the regular season, notching 37 goals and 43 assists, good for second on the team in scoring. He was even more productive in their first-round playoff loss, tallying seven goals and four assists in seven games. Eligible to play full-time with the Marlies next season, Holinka will now get an early taste of the pros.
- While the Lightning welcomed back Brandon Hagel this afternoon versus Boston, they were without a pair of other regulars. Team reporter Benjamin Pierce relayed (Twitter link) that center Zemgus Girgensons and defenseman Darren Raddysh are out with day-to-day injuries. Girgensons was limited after blocking a shot on Thursday in Montreal while Raddysh’s injury is a little harder to pin down after he scored the game-tying goal late in that one. At this point, there doesn’t appear to be any concern about their playoff availability.
- The Sabres are hopeful that center Noah Ostlund will be ready to return for the playoffs, notes Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News (Twitter link). He has missed the last two weeks with an upper-body injury; head coach Lindy Ruff indicated that the 22-year-old is skating daily and that it’s a pain management issue at this point. Ostlund has 11 goals and 16 assists in 60 games for Buffalo this season and should slot back into a bottom-six spot once he’s cleared to return to the lineup.
Capitals’ Pierre-Luc Dubois, Rasmus Sandin Leave With Injury
The Washington Capitals lost two important players during Saturday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Center Pierre-Luc Dubois sustained an upper-body injury after crashing into the boards on the first goal of the game, while defenseman Rasmus Sandin was helped off the ice with a lower-body injury later in the game. No update or timeline was provided for either player per NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti.
Both players have filled key roles for the Capitals all season long. Dubois missed 48 games between November and February due to a lower-body injury that required surgery. He returned to a top-six role in early-February and has scored 17 points in 21 games since. That production has provided a nice spark after Dubois failed to score in his first six games of the season. The 27 year old notched a career-high 66 points in 82 games during his first season with the Capitals last year. Sandin has stayed glued into Washington’s top-four and has 29 points and a plus-four in 72 games this season. He scored 30 points in 82 games last year.
With the duo out of the lineup, Washington will need to lean more on rookies Ilya Protas and Cole Hutson to continue bringing an impact. Both players are off to hot starts in their NHL careers. Protas has four points in his first two games, while Hutson has scored eight points in his first 11 games. Both have already worked their way onto Washington’s top powerplay unit, which fired on all cylinders during Saturday’s win. They will look to directly make up for Dubois and Sandin, while forward Ethen Frank and defenseman Timothy Liljegren could be called down from the press box.
The Capitals have two games remaining in their season and sit well outside of playoff contention. A pair of injuries could quickly redirect Washington’s focus towards deploying their young hopefuls, and resting their veterans, in preparation for a better season next year.
Hurricanes Announce Eight Out With Injury
The Carolina Hurricanes have been hit with a wave of injuries with only three games left in the season. According to NHL.com’s Walt Ruff, the Hurricanes were without forwards Jackson Blake, William Carrier, Taylor Hall, Mark Jankowski, and Logan Stankoven; defenseman Jalen Chatfield and K’Andre Miller; and goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov in Saturday’s game against the Utah Mammoth. No details or timelines have been revealed for any injuries. That is except for Kochetkov, who is currently on a conditioning loan with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves after missing most of the season with a lower-body injury that required surgery.
The Hurricanes were forced to overhaul their lineup with so many players out. Skyler Brind’Amour, Josiah Slavin, and Bradly Nadeau were recalled from the AHL to make up Carolina’s fourth-line, while Nicolas Deslauriers stepped onto a line with Eric Robinson and Jesperi Kotkaniemi. Defensemen Mike Reilly and Charles-Alexis Legault also stepped onto the blue-line. This is the second NHL game of the season for Brind’Amour and the younger Slavin. The duo have scored 34 and 25 points in 66 AHL games this season respectively. The NHL appearance is a bigger deal for Nadeau, a top Hurricanes prospect who notched 53 points in 51 AHL games this year. Nadeau also has two goals in nine NHL games this season. Leagult has matched Nadeau’s NHL scoring, with two points in nine games, on top of seven points in 22 AHL games.
It is not yet clear how the Hurricanes will move forward in the face of so many injuries. With only two games left after Saturday’s matchup, Carolina could afford to rest all seven injured NHL skaters for the rest of the regular season. The Hurricanes have locked up the top spot in the Metropolitan Division with a 51-22-6 record this season. They sit 10 points above the Pittsburgh Penguins in second place. Carolina is set to enter the postseason as a favorite to win the Stanley Cup out of the Eastern Conference. They will need to have all hands on deck to acheive that feat, with a first round matchup against the Boston Bruins or Ottawa Senators on the table.
Kraken Recall Victor Ostman From AHL
Already without Philipp Grubauer who was recently injured and Matt Murray who has been out for most of the season, the Kraken now have starting goalie Joey Daccord sidelined with a lower-body injury as well. As a result, the team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled netminder Victor Ostman from AHL Coachella Valley.
The 25-year-old has made just one NHL appearance in his career, that coming last April when he made 12 saves on 12 shots in mop-up duty of a late-season game against Utah. Beyond that, his professional experience has come exclusively in the minors.
Last season, Ostman spent most of the year at the ECHL level, only getting into five AHL outings. This season, he has seen regular action with the Firebirds, getting into 37 games where he has posted a 2.77 GAA with a .907 SV%. This is his first recall to Seattle this season.
While Seattle finds itself in a bottom-five spot in the standings, they technically enter play today against Calgary with a slim chance at a playoff spot. For that to happen, they’ll have to win out and hope a whole lot else goes their way. But they’ll be turning to Niklas Kokko – Ostman’s platoon partner in Coachella Valley – to help get that victory; he’ll be making his first NHL start tonight.
With Daccord’s injury, Ostman’s recall qualifies for emergency circumstances. Accordingly, his promotion won’t count against their post-deadline recall limit.
Stars Provide Several Injury Updates
The Stars have been one of the top teams in the NHL all season and have done so despite missing several key players for extended stretches. They also happen to be without quite a few regulars in the stretch run of the season. In an appearance on 96.7 The Ticket earlier today (audio link), head coach Glen Gulutzan provided updates on several of his players.
Earlier today, the team revealed that defenseman Miro Heiskanen was undergoing imaging for a lower-body injury. He’s set to miss the remaining three games of the regular season while Gulutzan added that he is “certainly hoping” to have his top blueliner back when the playoffs start. If he isn’t able to return, it would be the second straight postseason in which Heiskanen would miss time as he was sidelined for 10 of their 18 contests in 2025.
The other high-end player that remains sidelined for Dallas is center Roope Hintz. He sustained a lower-body last month (in his first game back following an illness that kept him sidelined after the Olympic break) and while the original hope was that he wouldn’t miss much time, he hasn’t played since. Recently, the plan was for him to get back into action before the end of the regular season but that is no longer the case. Now, the hope is that Hintz, who is still listed as week-to-week, will be ready for the playoffs.
Meanwhile, Heiskanen isn’t the only Dallas defender who’s now banged up. Gulutzan indicated that Tyler Myers reaggravated an old injury on Thursday and could miss Saturday’s game against the Rangers as a result. Acquired just before the trade deadline from Vancouver, the veteran is averaging over 16 minutes per night in 13 games with his new team as he has helped stabilize the back of their back end.
It isn’t all bad news on the injury front though. Gulutzan added that center Radek Faksa and winger Michael Bunting are expected to play in multiple games before the season ends with Bunting potentially being ready on Saturday. Center Sam Steel is day-to-day with the team being hopeful that he’ll be able to return for the regular season finale on Wednesday versus Buffalo.
Detroit Red Wings Recall Michal Postava
Following up on last night’s update that John Gibson wouldn’t return to the game for the Detroit Red Wings, the team provided indirect confirmation that Gibson’s short-term outlook isn’t great. Detroit announced that they’ve recalled netminder Michal Postava from AHL Grand Rapids under emergency conditions.
As PHR’s Bradley Keith explained yesterday evening, “Gibson was run into by Philadelphia’s Owen Tippett, ending his night after 30:40 in the crease, giving up two goals on 15 shots.” Depending on the severity of Gibson’s injury, he could miss the Red Wings’ remaining three games of the regular season over the next five days.
Without Gibson, any remaining chances of making the playoffs would be significantly diminished. In late February, Detroit had over an 80% chance of making the postseason. After their third consecutive collapse in March, their chances stand at 6% according to MoneyPuck.
If they’re officially eliminated over the next few days, and Gibson remains out with injury, there is a chance Postava could make his NHL debut. After an impressive performance with HC Kometa Brno of the Czech Extraliga last season, the Red Wings signed Postava ahead of the current campaign.
Playing second fiddle to top goalie prospect Sebastian Cossa in Grand Rapids, the 24-year-old Postava has made a promising introduction to North American hockey. In 23 games for the Griffins, Postava has managed a 15-6-0 record with a .935 SV% and 1.78 GAA, including three shutouts.
Assuming the Red Wings let veteran Cam Talbot pursue greener pastures this summer, and Cossa makes Detroit’s roster out of training camp, Postava should assume the starting role in Grand Rapids. If his early signs are any indication of what’s to come, he should have no issue managing a heavier workload next year.
Injury Notes: Josi, Heiskanen, Gibson, Dewar
In desperate need of a win to keep playoff hopes alive, the Nashville Predators will have to do so without a top player. Just before puck drop in Utah, the team shared that captain Roman Josi won’t play, listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
The news comes as a surprise, but Josi played just 15:31 on Tuesday against Anaheim, far below his team-leading 24:50 average usage. In his place comes Jordan Oesterle, who was recalled earlier in the week with Nicolas Hague also out.
Oesterle, 33, will make his season debut having played over 60 games in the AHL for the first time since 2014-15. As far as fill-in defenders go, teams can certainly do worse than the Michigan native and his over 400 games of NHL experience. Never known for offense at the NHL level, he’s put up 46 points in 65 games with the Milwaukee Admirals, good for second on the team and by far his highest output as a pro.
For Josi to miss such a critical game, it raises the question if he’ll have to miss more of the team’s three remaining contests. Until that’s determined, Nashville must march ahead in their quest to hold off the Kings for a spot in the postseason. They’d be rewarded with a matchup against the league’s top team in Colorado. It would be an unfavorable matchup, to say the least, but a nice ending nonetheless for retiring general manager Barry Trotz.
Elsewhere across the league:
- Top defender Miro Heiskanen of the Dallas Stars left with an apparent lower body injury. He was listed as questionable by the team, but still has not returned, enough cause for concern. The superstar absorbed a routine hit from Minnesota’s Ryan Hartman, but as he fell down, his skate got caught and caused an awkward leg bend. As deep as Dallas is on the back-end, losing Heiskanen now would be devastating as they have a roster quite capable of hoisting the Stanley Cup this spring. It’s the worst fear of any top team in April. The 26-year-old leads all skaters with nearly 26 minutes a night, and fourth in team scoring with 63 points in 76 games. Still not officially ruled out, his status will be watched urgently for updates, as the Stars will be back on Saturday against the Rangers.
- Detroit Red Wings goaltender John Gibson left tonight’s contest against the Flyers with an apparent injury, listed as questionable from the team, and didn’t return. Gibson was run into by Philadelphia’s Owen Tippett, ending his night after 30:40 in the crease, giving up two goals on 15 shots. It would take a relative miracle for the Wings to make the playoffs at this point, but they did themselves favors with a win tonight. Losing Gibson for an extended time could sink remaining hopes, as the 32-year-old has outperformed Cam Talbot all year. Often injured, Gibson has managed 54 games in his first season as a Red Wing, winning 28 of them with a 2.63 goals-against-average. He’ll hope to be back by Saturday, as Detroit hosts New Jersey.
- Pittsburgh Penguins forward Connor Dewar is day-to-day with a lower-body injury, per the team, and was unable to go against New Jersey. Playing without the 26-year-old for the first time this season, the Penguins still took care of business and officially clinched a playoff spot. In 78 games on the season, Dewar has enjoyed a breakout campaign with 14 goals and 30 points, career bests by a wide margin. He has quickly found a home in Pittsburgh, playing the highest minutes of his career and anchoring the penalty kill. With three games left, Dewar figures to be back in time for the playoffs, and could return as soon as Saturday against Washington.
Lightning Activate Declan Carlile
The Tampa Bay Lightning have activated defenseman Declan Carlile off of long-term injured reserve in advance of tonight’s game against the Montreal Canadiens, according to Erik Erlendsson of Lightning Insider.
Carlile, 25, has been sidelined since March 12 with a lower-body injury. Before his injury, Carlile was in the midst of the strongest season of his career at the professional level. The former Merrimack College rearguard has flown past his prior career highs in terms of NHL games played, skating in 38 games for the Lightning this season.
Tampa Bay has developed Carlile into a valuable AHL player, and their work in growing his game has begun to bear fruit for their NHL squad. While he’s still a depth contributor for the Lightning, averaging under 15 minutes of ice time per game, he has shown some promise as a shutdown blueliner. Head coach Jon Cooper has even begun to give him some time on the penalty kill.
Set to hit restricted free agency this summer, Carlile has a big opportunity ahead of him in what remains of the season. If he can find a way to get into Cooper’s lineup in the games left in the regular season, or perhaps even crack the team’s playoff lineup, he could further increase his odds of landing a solid contract extension this summer.
This season, Carlile has played on a two-way contract with a $250K AHL salary and $350K guarantee. Given the steps forward Carlile has taken this year, it seems entirely possible, if not likely, that he’ll earn the first one-way NHL contract of his career this summer. Before he gets to that point, though, he’ll need to finish this season with the Lightning in a strong fashion.
Sabres’ Alex Lyon Suffers Lower-Body Injury
Buffalo Sabres goaltender Alex Lyon strained a lower-body muscle during yesterday’s morning skate and will be re-evaluated in a week, head coach Lindy Ruff announced today. According to Ruff, there is a chance Lyon, who leads Sabres goaltenders in games played this season, will not be fit to return in time for the start of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Lyon’s injury throws into question who will start in net for the first game of the Sabres’ long-awaited return to the playoffs. As previously mentioned, Lyon has played the most for the team among its goalies this season, with 36 games compared to Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen‘s 34.
Luukkonen has outperformed Lyon by a slim margin in terms of the box score statistics this season, posting a .909 save percentage and 2.53 goals-against average. Lyon has a .907 save percentage and 2.74 goals against average this season, slightly lower than Luukkonen on both counts. But Lyon has the advantage in terms of goals saved above expected, as tracked by Natural Stat Trick.
Since the calendar flipped to 2026, things have been headed more in the direction of Luukkonen. He’s played in 21 games compared to Lyon’s 15 in the new year, and has a .910 save percentage compared to Lyon’s .906 in that span. It could be that, even not factoring in Lyon’s injury, Ruff was already more likely to begin the team’s playoff run with Luukkonen in the crease, rather than Lyon. Today’s injury news has only furthered that likelihood.
It is worth mentioning, though, that the one area where Lyon has a clear advantage over Luukkonen is an important one: playoff experience. Luukkonen hasn’t backstopped a team on a playoff run since his days in the OHL with the Sudbury Wolves, which was back in the 2018-19 season. Lyon, on the other hand, has a more extensive, and more recent, track record in the postseason. He put up a .944 save percentage in 11 playoff games in 2017-18 with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, and backstopped the Chicago Wolves to a Calder Cup championship in 2021-22, posting a .923 save percentage on their run.
Lyon has even won a playoff game in the NHL. He was the starter for the Panthers in the first three games of their run in the 2023 playoffs, winning the second game of the series in Boston. While he eventually lost the starting role to star Sergei Bobrovsky, he nonetheless got valuable playoff experience, something Luukkonen doesn’t yet have. Whether that will factor into Ruff’s decision-making later this month remains to be seen, but what is clear is that Lyon’s injury means Luukkonen is overwhelmingly likely to be the one in the crease when the Sabres begin their first playoff trip in over a decade.