Montreal Canadiens demote Nikita Scherbak to AHL

The Montreal Canadiens assigned forward Nikita Scherbak to the Laval Rocket of the American Hockey League on Monday.

Scherbak, 22, had a goal and two assists in seven games since he was called up Feb. 2 from Laval. He scored in a 6-3 loss to Las Vegas on Saturday night.

The move was likely made to make room on the roster for the return of Phillip Danault and Andrew Shaw, who were both injured Jan. 13.

Danault suffered a concussion when struck on the side of the head by a Zdeno Chara shot while Shaw has been nursing a lower-body injury. Both forwards have resumed practising with the team.