Canadiens Waste No Time Making Changes after Leading League in Injuries Twice
Both Executive Vice-President of Hockey Operations Jeff Gorton and GM Kent Hughes said they'd be taking a look at it in the offseason. It seems they didn't wait long.
League Leaders
While the Montreal Canadiens likely wouldn't have set the league on fire anyway, the sheer number of injuries the team has faced over the past two seasons is enormous. In fact, the Canadiens have led the league since 2021 in man games lost to injury per season. It was clear something had to change, and now it has.
According to Tony Marinaro, and confirmed by other sources, Gorton and Hughes have made the decision to fire Donald Balmforth, who was the team's Head Physiotherapist, as well as Graham Rynbend, who was serving as the Canadiens' Head Athletic Therapist.
While something had to give due to the situation, the decision was not met with complete approval. Former Montreal Player Craig Rivet said on Twitter that Rynbend was one of the greatest people he met throughout his NHL career. Rivet noted while he was sad to see him go, he's betting he'll move on to something bigger and better.
| POLL | ||
JUIN 16 | 31 ANSWERS Canadiens Waste No Time Making Changes after Leading League in Injuries Twice Was this the right move for the Habs? | ||
| Yes | 12 | 38.7 % |
| No | 9 | 29 % |
| Not sure | 10 | 32.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
![Feb 17, 2025; Boston, MA, USA; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team Canada forward Brandon Hagel (38) controls the puck during the first period in a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game against Team Finland at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images](https://i.marqueur.com/habsetlnh/medium/530840.webp "Feb 17, 2025; Boston, MA, USA; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team Canada forward Brandon Hagel (38) controls the puck during the first period in a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game against Team Finland at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images")
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![Feb 17, 2025; Boston, MA, USA; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team Canada forward Connor McDavid (97) shoots the puck while Team Finland defenseman Olli Maata (3) defends during the first period in a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images](https://i.marqueur.com/habsetlnh/medium/530714.webp "Feb 17, 2025; Boston, MA, USA; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team Canada forward Connor McDavid (97) shoots the puck while Team Finland defenseman Olli Maata (3) defends during the first period in a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images")
![Feb 13, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team USA forward Brady Tkachuk (7) celebrates his goal against Team Finland in the third period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images](https://i.marqueur.com/habsetlnh/medium/530544.webp "Feb 13, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team USA forward Brady Tkachuk (7) celebrates his goal against Team Finland in the third period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images")
![Feb 15, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team Canada forward brandon Hagel (38) plays the puck and Team United States defenseman Charlie McAvoy (25) defends in the second period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images](https://i.marqueur.com/habsetlnh/medium/530571.webp "Feb 15, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team Canada forward brandon Hagel (38) plays the puck and Team United States defenseman Charlie McAvoy (25) defends in the second period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images")
