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NHL Rumors: Does Injured Patrik Laine Have Future With Montreal Canadiens?

Jeff Hawkins Written by Sports EditorJeff Hawkins
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NHL Rumors: Does Injured Patrik Laine Have Future With Montreal Canadiens?

Remember Patrik Laine? 

Some Montreal Canadiens fans do. 

Some members of the Canadiens’ front office staff apparently have forgotten Laine was once a foundation piece. 

The 27-year-old winger appears to be nearing a return from injury and NHL rumors suggest there isn’t a role for him among the top-six forwards.  

The 27-year-old winger appears close to returning from injury and remains in his final season of his contract, an $8.7 million salary-cap hit. 

Does Laine, a pending unrestricted free agent, still fit into the Canadiens’ long-term plans? In the five games he dressed this season, he posted one assist and a minus-3 rating. 

Without him, they have developed into legitimate Eastern Conference contenders. 

NHL Rumors Hint At Patrik Laine Moving On 

Out of the lineup while recovering from core muscle surgery, Laine has not dressed since late October. He returned to practice for the first time last Friday. 

The Canadiens (27-15-7) entered Monday ranked third in the Atlantic Division, three points behind the co-leading Tampa Bay Lightning and playoff-hungry Detroit Red Wings. With 3.39 goals per game, the Habs rank fifth in the league in scoring. 

It’s been a tough season for the 2016 second-overall draft pick. In January, he learned he would not compete for Team Finland during the upcoming Winter Olympic Games in Milan, Italy. 

Who would Laine replace along the top line? Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki or Alexandre Texier? 

Who is he going to replace along the second line? Juraj Slafkovsky, Oliver Kapanen and Ivan Demidov? 

Texier, who missed a few recent practices, could be a possibility. He has just two assists since posting a hat trick during a win over the visiting Florida Panthers on Jan. 8.  

Laine, who collected 224 career goals in 537 outings, likely will not dress for another few weeks. When he does, he could begin re-adjusting game speed by taking some of Texier’s shifts. By playing on the top line, the Canadiens could showcase his health to scouts before the March 6 trade deadline. 

There doesn’t seem to be a future role for Laine, who is known for utilizing skill over speed.

Jeff Hawkins Written by Sports EditorJeff Hawkins
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry, in both print and digital media. He joined the Sportscasting team in 2021 following a decade of freelancing. He spent his early career as a reporter for various newspapers in Illinois, New York, Florida, North Carolina, and Michigan, with a particular emphasis as a beat reporter for the Chicago Blackhawks. Jeff earned his bachelor's degree in journalism from Oakland University. Over the course of his career he earned several sports writing awards, including two national awards from the Associated Press Sports Editors for column writing and news reporting. One of the five prized columns included a commentary on NASCAR's increasing corporate influences, particularly in northern racetracks — commentary which you might find Jeff building on as part of the Motorsports writing team at Sportscasting now.  
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