Montreal Canadiens defenseman Alexei Emelin averages 19:36 of ice time a night - or, that is to say, he averaged 19:36 of ice time a night.
Emelin left Wednesday night's game against the Ottawa Senators with a shoulder injury which, it was revealed Thursday by Eric Engels, will force him to miss about six weeks and possibly longer but won't require surgery.
While Emelin's injury represents a serious opportunity for the now NHL-bound youngster Jarred Tinordi, with GM Marc Bergevin already rumored to be hot on the trail of an NHL trade deadline deal for a top-4 defenseman and reportedly shopping Emelin in the process, this could amp up that pursuit even further.
"The Montreal Canadiens have been searching for a top-four defenseman for the last few weeks, and their hunt could intensify following Wednesday night's 4-2 loss to Ottawa," reads a report on The Fourth Period.
"Habs GM Marc Bergevin and his staff have been scouring the league in search for a veteran defenseman to add to their lineup."
Add fellow blueliner P.K. Subban's less severe, though still alarming, foot injury and the immense load the team is asking him to carry on a nightly basis, and it's not hard to see why Bergevin is potentially intensifying his search for a top-4 rearguard.
"Subban has grown into a game-changer, but his minutes haven't risen with every passing year," writes Adam Proteau of The Hockey News. "Prior to this season, he's hovered around the 23-24-minute mark, but he's already averaging nearly 26 in his first 57 games of 2014-15. To continue pushing the needle on him into March and April would be foolhardy, especially when the market for a defenseman isn't going to cost Bergevin a first-round pick."
The market for defenseman has shifted a bit in recent weeks thanks to the Tyler Myers and Cody Franson deals, but the Canadiens and Bergevin have already shown varying degrees of interest in players like the Coyotes Keith Yandle and Zbynek Michalek, the Hurricanes' Andrej Sekera, the Oilers' Jeff Petry and the Flyers' Braydon Coburn.
As a team that already gives up a high number of shots and doesn't score that many goals, the addition of an offensive-minded, second-pairing defenseman makes almost too much sense not to happen for the Habs.
