Oliver Kapanen is day-to-day with a lower-body injury and won't practice Monday, one day before the Canadiens open their season in Toronto.
The Canadiens announced the update Monday morning and didn't offer anything beyond the day-to-day label.
Kapanen logged 20:18 in Saturday's 4-3 loss in Ottawa, second only to Kirby Dach among Montreal forwards in that game.
He didn't register a shot but finished plus-1.
The injury lands on roster deadline day, with every team's opening lineup due today.
The Canadiens were already expected to cut three of David Reinbacher, Adam Engström, Owen Beck and Florian Xhekaj.
So does this open a door for someone else?
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Oliver Kapanen injury sends Canadiens scrambling before opener
It could. A day-to-day forward means Martin St-Louis may need an extra body up front on Tuesday.
Beck and Xhekaj were both in the mix for spots, and either one could benefit.
St-Louis had praised Xhekaj's consistency throughout camp, pointing to how noticeable he was every time out.
Dach, who logged 21:21 in Ottawa without a point, keeps coming up in trade talk, and Darren Dreger believes Kent Hughes may have something up his sleeve.
The Canadiens should play it safe. Rushing a day-to-day forward into an opener in Toronto isn't worth risking a longer absence in October.
It's like catching a cold the morning of a job interview. You can probably push through, but you'd rather not find out the hard way.
Alex Belzile, Brett Berard and Sasha Pastujov scored for Montreal in that Ottawa loss, while Adam Engström led every Canadiens skater with 23:54.
Pastujov has since hit waivers, and The Athletic's Thomas Drance flagged him as a possible Canucks target.
The Canadiens went 4-1-0 in the preseason.
Jim Hiller's Leafs finished 2-1-1 and host Montreal on Tuesday.
Michael Matheson was fined $5,000 for roughing Ridly Greig on Saturday, but he faced no suspension.
Day-to-day could still mean he plays Tuesday. Kapanen's status at the morning skate will tell St-Louis how much juggling he has left to do.
Should the Canadiens hold Oliver Kapanen out of the opener in Toronto?
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