Canadiens defenceman David Schlemko out 6 weeks with knee injury

Montreal Canadiens defenceman David Schlemko (21) has been sidelined by a knee injury for up to six weeks. (Graham Hughes/CP)

BROSSARD, Que. — Montreal Canadiens defenceman David Schlemko will be out up to six weeks with a knee injury, head coach Claude Julien said Friday.

Julien said Schlemko injured his knee in Montreal’s 5-3 loss to visiting Toronto on Wednesday.

The injury is a blow to a Canadiens team missing top defenceman Shea Weber to off-season knee surgery and otherwise considered to be thin on the blue line.

Schlemko missed the first 25 games last season after suffering a broken hand on the first day of training camp. He played 37 games with the Canadiens last season, scoring a goal and adding four assists while posting a plus-3 rating.

The Canadiens acquired the 31-year-old Edmonton native from Vegas last off-season in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2019 draft.

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