Canadiens' Eric Staal to make debut vs. Oilers on April 5

Montreal Canadiens' head coach Dominique Ducharme explains where he thinks newly acquired forward Eric Staal could fit into the lineup.

The newest Montreal Canadiens forward, Eric Staal, will make his debut with the team Monday against the Edmonton Oilers, head coach Dominique Ducharme confirmed Friday.

Staal, who was acquired in a trade with the Buffalo Sabres on March 26, has been quarantining in Montreal and is eligible to join the team for practice on Sunday.

"Days have been going by relatively smoothly," Staal said of his quarantine on the "NHL @TheRink" podcast Thursday, according to NHL.com. "I have to go into COVID test every morning, and I've been doing some video with the coaching staff to get some familiarity with systems and the way that we play.

"They've got me a bike, some dumbbells, so I go through some home workouts. A couple more days, but obviously part of the process. Sunday I'm free, so I'm going to be on the ice and looking forward to it."

The 36-year-old struggled in his short stint with the Sabres, scoring three goals and 10 points in 32 games. But he did record four consecutive seasons of at least 19 goals from 2016-17 through 2019-20 as a member of the Minnesota Wild.

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