Raphael Diaz will be a healthy scratch for a second straight game Monday night. On the bright side, he was named to Team Switzerland for the Winter Olympics in Sochi. "I'm really happy," Diaz said. "This is the tournament of all tournaments."

Raphael Diaz will be a healthy scratch for the first time this season on Saturday night. Alexei Emelin will return from the press box in his place. Diaz has 11 assists in 42 games this season.

Raphael Diaz is one of just eight Montreal players to have appeared in all 38 of their games this season. Diaz wasn't drafted and had to excel in the Swiss league before Montreal finally took a shot at him in his late 20s. He'll turn 28 on Jan. 9 and he's only appeared in 120 NHL contests, but the late bloomer has firmly established himself as a regular. He has 10 points in 2013-14, which might not sound that impressive, but he's done that without getting much power-play ice time. He's nearly even with teammate Andrei Markov when it comes to even strength points, but Markov's work with the man advantage has resulted in him doubling Diaz's point total. Keep that in mind if Markov or PK Subban end up missing time due to an injury.

Raphael Diaz chipped in two assists in the Habs' 2-1 win over Dallas on Tuesday night. Diaz snapped a five game pointless streak but still has six points through 13 games this season. The Swiss defenseman needs to elevate his game in order to become a dependable fantasy option, however showed last year that he can be a worthy option with 14 points in 23 games.

Raphael Diaz had two assists in Montreal's 4-1 win on Saturday. Diaz now has three points in five games this season. His power-play ice time is limited in Montreal, but he still might breach the 30-point mark if he manages to stay healthy.

Although much of the attention in Montreal is focussed on P.K. Subban and Andrei Markov when examining the Habs' blueline, don't forget about Raphael Diaz. He has offensive skills (14 points in 23 games last season) and will play with talented players on the team's second power-play unit. Diaz will also likely start the season paired with Markov at even strength. If you are looking for a rearguard in the late rounds, you could do worse than Diaz.

Raphael Diaz will close out the year in the World Hockey Championship with Switzerland. The Swiss will play the Czech Republic in Thursday's quarter-final round. "I learned a lot of things again this year," said Diaz prior to leaving for the tournament. "I want to go and show my best hockey and support my teammates from Switzerland." He played in Switzerland's top league during the lockout, where he starred for EV Zug. Diaz had 14 points in 23 games during the regular season for Montreal.

Raphael Diaz, who has missed 25 games due to a concussion, should return to the Montreal lineup Saturday night against Washington. It's been a long time since we've seen Diaz, who had a very promising start to his season (13 points in 19 games). We would wait to see Diaz play in a game before activating him, though, as 25 games is a rather long layoff.

Raphael Diaz joined his teammates for Monday's practice for the first time since he suffered a concussion back on Feb. 25. He said he's feeling better each day even though there's still no timetable for his return to the lineup. Diaz had 13 points in 19 games from the back end prior to getting hurt.

Raphael Diaz is "making progress" in his recovery from a concussion. There wasn't much more than that from coach Michel Therrien, so it's difficult to figure out what "progress" means. Much like concussed teammate Rene Bourque, it's impossible to guess when Diaz might be able to return. We'll just have to wait and see.