The Montreal Canadiens are struggling against the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs in a preseason game at the Bell Center on Thursday night. The Habs not only had issues shooting the puck, but blocking it as well, and with the latest update from the team, the third period was not about to get any better.

The Canadiens announced at the start of the third frame that defenseman Noah Dobson would not return to the game.

However, they did not give any additional details on the reasons why, and fans quickly grew impatient on social media.

Dobson was acquired by Montreal in a sign-and-trade deal with the New York Islanders on June 27, 2025, sending forward Emil Heineman and the No. 16 and 17 picks in the 2025 NHL Draft in return. The 25-year-old top-pairing right-shot defenseman then signed an eight-year, $76 million contract extension with the Canadiens.

His addition to the roster was supposed to send a message of the Habs’ intent to compete for a Stanley Cup in the near future.

However, if the reason why Dobson abruptly left the game are linked to a serious injury, this could be a significant blow to the Canadiens.

Things got worse in the third period as well when it was then David Reinbacher's turn to also go to the Canadiens dressing room.

A night to forget in Montreal.

UPDATE

After the game, the team announced that both Kaiden Guhle and Dobson day-to-day with groin injuries. Guhle was scheduled to be in the lineup tonight but was removed before puck drop.

As for Reinbacher, he is still under evaluation with team specialists.