Glen Metropolit, left, has 16 goals and 13 assists this season.

THE CANADIAN PRESS

MONTREAL -- Centre Glen Metropolit will miss at least the rest of the regular season with a shoulder injury, the Montreal Canadiens announced Tuesday.

Metropolit was injured during a 4-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Saturday night.

He is to undergo further tests this week to determine the full extent of the injury, coach Jacques Martin said.

Metropolit, who will be an unrestricted free agent on July 1, has a career-high 16 goals and 13 assists in 69 games this season. He leads the team with 10 power play goals.

Meanwhile, Benoit Pouliot's brief demotion to the fourth line ended after only one practice. At Tuesday's skate, he was back on the top unit with Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta, while Mathieu Darche rejoined the fourth line with Maxim Lapierre and Tom Pyatt.

Also Tuesday, the Canadiens signed free agent defenceman Brendon Nash to a two-year contract. Nash, who turns 23 on Wednesday, skated at the Canadiens' development camp in 2009.

The six-foot-three 206-pound native of Kamloops, B.C., led Cornell University defencemen in scoring with two goals and 17 assists in 33 games this season. He had eight goals and 59 assists in 173 games over four seasons at the school.

Nash joined Cornell just as another Canadiens defenceman, Ryan O'Byrne, left the Big Red to turn pro after the 2005-06 season.

The Canadiens play host to the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday night.