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Canadiens will list Briere, Emelin as healthy scratches tonight

Montreal Canadiens v Buffalo Sabres

BUFFALO, NY - NOVEMBER 27: Daniel Briere #48 of the Montreal Canadiens warms up to play the Buffalo Sabres at First Niagara Center on November 27, 2013 in Buffalo, New York.

Jen Fuller

When the Montreal Canadiens take on the Dallas Stars tonight, they’ll be doing so without the help of Daniel Briere or Alexei Emelin. Both players are healthy, but coach Michel Therrien isn’t interested in using either of them, according to the Montreal Gazette’s Pat Hickey.

This isn’t the first time Briere has been sent to the press box and on top that, his playing time has been limited this season. The 36-year-old forward is averaging just 12:38 minutes per game after agreeing to a two-year, $8 million contract that runs through 2014-15.

Speaking about contracts that Montreal might regret, the decision to scratch Emelin comes just a couple months after they signed him to a four-year, $16.4 million contract. That deal doesn’t even take effect until next season and already there are causes for concern.

He started the season on the sidelines due to a knee injury and his playing time has dipped from 19:40 minutes per contest in the shortened campaign to just 17:35 since his return. It’s also a discouraging sign for Team Russia when it comes to the 2014 Winter Olympics. Their defensive core was already a significant question mark and Emelin’s struggles serves to further complicate things for them.

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