Montreal Canadiens defenceman Arber Xhekaj will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery later this week, the team announced Tuesday.
The Habs added that they expect him ready for next season.
Xhekaj was listed as out for the game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday and was not given a timetable to return pending further evaluation.
He injured his shoulder in the game against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday in bizarre fashion. In the third period, the Lightning’s Steven Stamkos collided with teammate Brandon Hagel and Xhekaj got caught in the cross-fire with Mikey Eyssimont believing that he had something to do with the collision.
The 23-year-old has already missed time this season with an upper-body injury.
In his second NHL season, Xhekaj has three goals and seven assists for 10 points while notching 81 PIM in 44 games.
In better news, forward Christian Dvorak is set to play in his first game since Dec. 30 after suffering a torn pectoral. The 28-year-old centre was originally ruled out for the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery for the injury.
Dvorak had three goals and seven points in 25 games for the Canadiens going down.
Meanwhile, defenceman Kaiden Guhle returned to practice on Tuesday in a non-contact jersey.
He also missed the game against the Maple Leafs and was listed as day-to-day after suffering an injury, similarly, in the game against the Lightning after being hit by Nikita Kucherov.
Guhle has also missed time this season due to injury, with an upper-body ailment forcing him out of the lineup for four games in October.
The second-year defenceman has been solid for the Canadiens’ blue line this season, notching six goals and 22 points and is third on the team in ice time, averaging 20:51 a game. He has played in 70 games this season.
Montreal hosts the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night.
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