Montreal Canadiens superstar forward Patrik Laine was helped off the ice with a knee injury during a preseason game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on September 28.
Laine collided with Maple Leafs forward Jacob Quillan as it was a knee-on-knee hit. Laine immediately fell to the ice in pain as the injury didn’t look good.
Laine was helped off the ice and the camera showed him throwing his glove and helmet in frustration.
Laine is entering the second year of a four-year $34.8 million deal with the Canadiens. He was acquired by Montreal on August 19. The Habs acquired Laine and a 2026 second-round pick for defenseman Jordan Harris.
Laine was expected to be a top-six forward for the Canadiens in the 2024-25 NHL season. Last season with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Laine recorded 6 goals and 3 assists for 9 points in 18 games.
Laine Eager to be Dealt to Canadiens
Laine had requested a trade from Columbus and his request was fulfilled as he was dealt to the Canadiens.
The former second-overall pick says his goal was to be a 40 or 50-goal scorer this season, but also be a key contributor to the Canadiens roster.
“I don’t want to come back as a 30-goal-scorer. I want to come back as a 40, 50- (goal-scorer). I’ve done that previously and it’s not by accident,” Laine said on August 19. “But it’s not just all about that. I want to come in and do whatever it takes to contribute to the team and help the team win, whether it’s me scoring 50 or scoring 20, as long as the team wins. I’m getting to that age, I’m not 19 years old anymore. I just want to win.”
Laine was projected to be Montreal’s second-line right-winger playing on a line with Alex Newhook and Kirby Dach, according to DailyFaceoff.com.
“It’s been tough missing the playoffs the last handful of years, and in my second year being in the (Western) Conference Final (with Winnipeg) and seeing what that’s like, it’s all we play for,” Laine said. “It’s why we work out in the summer and train as hard as we do, to get to those games. I’m going to do whatever it takes for me to contribute and take the Canadiens over there.”
Laine was selected 2nd overall in the 2016 NHL draft by the Winnipeg Jets.
Canadiens GM Wanted Laine to be a Veteran Leader
Montreal is a young team that is in the midst of a rebuild.
By adding Laine, Canadiens’ general manager Kent Hughes said the goal was for the former second-overall pick to be a leader on and off the ice.
“We’re very young, and he may be young at 26, but that still makes him an older statesman on the Montreal Canadiens. And we’re hoping that as such he’ll do his part to help and teach our young players,” Hughes said.
“We talked to him about that, about you look back at your time when you came to Winnipeg as a young 18-year-old hockey player and you think about the people and things that helped you be successful, and you think about the things that occurred that maybe made it more difficult to be successful, and carry that forward to the Montreal Canadiens and help those players succeed,” Hughes added.
Montreal will open its 2024-25 NHL season at home on October 9 against the Maple Leafs.
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