Canadiens receive positive Mike Matheson injury update

Montreal Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson has been dealing with an upper-body injury, and he used the team's day off to resume training.

Absent for the last two games, the 31-year-old defenseman took to the ice at the CN Complex in Brossard and took a few shots on goal while being accompanied by a member of the team's staff.

However, he is still unavailable and is being evaluated by the team's doctors.

Matheson missed Tuesday night's game against the Philadelphia Flyers and Thursday night's game against the Chicago Blackhawks due to this mysterious injury. However, reporter Renaud Lavoie indicated earlier this week, via Dose.ca, that the injury was not serious and that the Pointe-Claire native was being held out as a precaution.

What could the Canadiens plan to reintegrate Mike Matheson?

Once Matheson gets the green light, head coach Martin St. Louis will look to ease him back in with significant responsibility right away. He'll likely slot into the top pairing with the freedom to move the puck, jump straight onto the first penalty-kill unit, and get shifts that start in the offensive zone.

With him back, St. Louis will surely ease the defensive load on Lane Hutson, who assumed a larger role in his absence. Hutson can be kept on the top power-play unit and use Matheson to handle tougher matchups and heavy lifting in defense.

Upon his return, the initial strategy should focus on short, high-intensity shifts and defensive consistency. St. Louis would be wise to pair him with a familiar partner to help rebuild his timing for breakouts and neutral-zone coverage.

Among Montreal's other injured players, forward Kirby Dach and defenseman Kaiden Guhle also skated alongside Matheson in Brossard on Friday morning.

In Dach's case, the timeline for his return to play following a foot fracture was between Dec. 14 and 28. However, St. Louis said on Thursday that he did not expect to see him back before Christmas. As for Guhle, he is normally expected to be ready to return to competition between Jan. 9 and 23.