We have an intriguing development live from the Montreal Canadiens' morning practice.
Brendan Gallagher is absent, and Rafaël Harvey-Pinard has taken his place on the third line alongside Christian Dvorak and Josh Anderson.
"Brendan Gallagher is not on the ice for morning practice. RHP is taking his spot with Dvorak and Anderson." - Eric Engels
This situation is worth monitoring over the next few minutes, but the Canadiens have announced a media availability for a press briefing immediately after the morning practice, so we should get answers to our questions at that time.
Brendan Gallagher is absent this morning, replaced by Rafaël Harvey-Pinard as we await details from today's press conference
It could simply be a rest day for Gallagher, but it's unusual for that to happen on a game day, especially since No. 11 hasn't missed any practices earlier this week.
Additionally, the Canadiens typically issue an official announcement when a player is absent for treatment reasons, which hasn't been done for Gallagher today.
It's likely that Gallagher is dealing with a minor issue, and we may see Rafaël Harvey-Pinard in the lineup tonight.
Let's hope Gallagher stays healthy, as he's having an excellent start to the season and has been incredibly valuable for Martin St-Louis' lineup this year.
At 32 years old, Brendan Gallagher has scored 7 goals in 17 games this season, making him the team's second-leading scorer, behind Cole Caufield, of course.
Details to follow.
