Canadiens rookie, No. 1 pick S...

Juraj Slafkovsky's debut season seems to be coming to an end after only 39 games. The Montreal Canadiens stated on Wednesday that their first-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft will be out for three months due to a lower-body issue — later confirmed to be his left knee — that does not require surgery.

The injury looks to have occurred midway through the third period of the Canadiens' game against the New York Rangers on Sunday night. Slafkovsky did not participate in Montreal's next game on Tuesday against the Winnipeg Jets.

The Slovakian's injury certainly brings an end to a poor freshman season in which he scored four goals and had ten points, including a 15-game scoreless run.

Aside from Slafkovsky, the Canadiens issued injury updates on four other players, revealing that Jonathan Drouin, Jake Allen, Joel Armia, and Jake Evans will all be out for some time.

Forwards According to the organization, Drouin and Armia have upper-body ailments and will not return until after the NHL All-Star break.

Both Drouin and Armia are having tough seasons for the Canadiens — few players aren't when they play for the NHL's 26th-ranked team — with both struggling to contribute and missing time this season. Drouin has no goals and 12 assists in 28 games this season, while Armia has only seven points in 32 games.

Netminder Jake Allen will also be out with an upper-body injury and is anticipated to be out for at least the next week. This season, the Canadiens starter has battled terribly in 27 games, posting career lows in save percentage (.892) and goals against average (3.52).

Finally, Evans is projected to be out for eight to 10 weeks due to a lower-body ailment (knee) that will not necessitate surgery. Evans has two goals and nine assists for 11 points this season in 43 games.