RUMOR! Noah Dobson reportedly underwent thumb surgery

As a reminder, Dobson was injured while blocking a shot with his hand. It appears he has suffered a thumb fracture.

When he underwent finger surgery in 2015 after blocking a shot, Brendan Gallagher missed six weeks of action, after the Canadiens had initially announced “at least a month out.”

In January 2017, Gallagher once again had to undergo surgery for a broken finger, and this time, he missed just over five weeks. However, the initial estimate was for an absence of at least two months… which turned into five weeks and change!

In short, it's impossible to pin down a perfect timeline. Sometimes it takes longer, and other times it takes less. You might think that in the playoffs, it tends to take less time…

Except it won't take a week…

So we have to face the facts: Noah Dobson will definitely not play in the first three games of the series against the Lightning, and there's a good chance he won't be able to face the Lightning at all.

If the Habs manage to eliminate the Bolts, Dobson also risks missing the start of the second round, but hey, he could also be a “playoff miracle.”

Basically, Dobson is likely to miss one or two series, and that's going to hurt the Canadiens BIG
TIME. People may have criticized Dobson, but we've seen just how much the Habs aren't the same team without him. Montreal's


defensive corps is more vulnerable without its top right-handed defenseman, and no, David Reinbacher isn't even close to being able to replace Dobson. With Carrier sidelined, Guhle struggling, and Matheson tired, we'll have to hope the other defensemen step up.

Hello, Lane!

Jeff Petry: Not the Same
During the 2021 playoffs, Jeff Petry suffered a fracture to his right pinky finger in Game 3 against the Winnipeg Jets after getting his hand caught in a hole in the glass.

Despite intense pain and bloodshot eyes caused by SQDC cannabis during the procedure to repair his finger, Petry was able to return to the game two games later (with a modified glove and slightly reduced effectiveness).

He was able to avoid surgery, which would have meant the end of his playoff run.

However, Petry's case was different from Dobson's; the little finger is used much less than the thumb. Furthermore, getting your little finger stuck in a hole in the glass is not the same as taking a shot to the thumb.

And Petry had postponed the surgery, whereas Dobson, according to Normandin's report, has already undergone surgery.

At least, if Victor Hedman doesn't end up in a Lightning uniform, we can still say the two teams are even.