Canadiens prospect out indefinitely with upper-body injury

Montreal Canadiens forward prospect Emil Heineman is out indefinitely with an upper-body injury, per an announcement from their AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket.

Heineman, 21, is one of the better prospects in the Canadiens system and was knocking on the door for a lineup spot after a strong training camp. After finishing out the 2022-23 season with his club in Sweden, Leksands IF, Heineman came over to North America and notched seven goals and nine points in 11 games with Laval down the stretch. He had an assist through two games with Laval this season before sustaining the injury. Dobber Prospects has Heineman ranked as the team’s third-best left-wing prospect behind 2022 first overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky and Harvard product Sean Farrell.

A versatile, well-rounded forward, Heineman can comfortably slot in on either wing and in any role. He’s got a beast of a shot, too, hinted at when he notched 26 goals in 29 games during his draft year for Leksand’s U20 team. He’s the second young Habs player to get bad injury news today, joining center Kirby Dach as a player with high hopes in Montreal out long-term.

Some more notes from the Atlantic Division:

• The Detroit Red Wings were down a forward on Saturday as Robby Fabbri was held out of the lineup with an undisclosed injury, necessitating the recall of Zach Aston-Reese (who’s since been returned to the AHL). It doesn’t appear he’ll miss much more time, however. EP Rinkside’s Sean Shapiro reports Fabbri was in attendance for Detroit’s morning skate today and is nearing a return, although he’s not projected to draw into the lineup Monday night against the Blue Jackets. Injuries have limited Fabbri’s performance for nearly his entire career, and the winger has played just 85 out of 166 games since the 2021-22 campaign. He did notch a goal in 14:44 of ice time in the team’s season-opening loss to the Devils last week.
• A third Florida Panther is expected to make his NHL debut this season. 21-year-old Justin Sourdif will draw into the lineup tonight against the Devils instead of another rookie, Mackie Samoskevich, who will serve as a healthy scratch. Sourdif, the 87th overall selection in the 2020 NHL Draft, made his pro debut just last season, scoring seven goals, 17 assists and 24 points in 48 games with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers. He was a surprise inclusion on the Panthers’ opening night roster this year, and he’ll now get the chance to show what he can do at the NHL level skating alongside Nick Cousins and Anton Lundell on the team’s third line.