What happened to Emil Heineman? Canadiens defenseman injured in traffic accident

Emil Heineman was in an accident recently. He was involved in a traffic collision with a pedestrian and is expected to miss the next three to four weeks as he recovers. He sustained an upper-body injury in the accident.

The Montreal Canadiens offered up a statement about the injury to their player who will now be on Injured Reserve for a while:

"Emil Heineman was involved in a traffic accident yesterday as a pedestrian. Heineman sustained an upper-body injury and will be out 3-4 weeks."

Officers couldn’t locate the person who initially made the report but couldn’t find them. A business later called with more information about the crash, which confirmed that Heineman was involved. He showed no signs of serious injury, and local police identified everyone involved later.

This was Heineman's first full season at the NHL level. He appeared in 41 of the Canadiens’ 42 games until the accident. He recorded 10 goals and added seven assists. The Canadiens' star has been playing on the fourth line with Jake Evans and Joel Armia.

This injury comes at a bad time. The Canadiens, who are 20-18-4 overall, have been red-hot lately. They are 7-2-1 in their last 10 games, but their depth will be tested without Heineman in the lineup.

This is the second traffic-related incident that has involved an NHL player recently. Pittsburgh Penguins player Michael Bunting was also involved in an accident. He only missed one game, a loss against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

---

Emil Heineman's agent offers update

Upper-body injuries can vary in type and severity. The three to four-week timeline for Emil Heineman rules out the worst possibilities, but they're still waiting on an official diagnosis for the player.

Emil Heineman was involved in a traffic accident (Imagn)

His agent Marcus Isaksson said via Habs Eyes on the Prize:

“We are awaiting an update from North America. He has been hit by a car, nothing too serious. Maybe a broken wrist. A specialist will have a look at the injury."

With Heineman out, Michael Pezzetta will presumably be placed in the lineup moving forward. Alex Newhook missed practice on Monday with an illness, so it is also possible that the Canadiens may need defender Jayden Struble to play given the sudden lack of depth on the roster due to Heineman's injury.