Five weeks after Patrik Laine guaranteed weâ€d see the best version of himself on the ice this season, the Montreal Canadiens announced it would be several months before weâ€d see Laine on the ice again.
The Finnish forward underwent core-muscle surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital, in New York, earlier this week, after initially being ruled “day-to-day with a lower-body injury†by the club on Oct. 17. Heâ€ll be sidelined for 12-16 weeks after appearing in just five games, earning only one point, registering only six shots on net, and accumulating a minus-three rating.
Those numbers werenâ€t entirely indicative of Laineâ€s performance, which Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis expressed satisfaction with on a couple of occasions in the early part of this season. But itâ€s fair to say the player was slow-burning his way towards displaying the best version of himself.
Thereâ€s no debate itâ€s unfortunate the fire has been suddenly extinguished after an up-and-mostly-down four seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets brought him to Montreal via trade — and after he experienced several highs and lows in his first season with the Canadiens.Â
There have been multiple interruptions to his career over that span, and the one heâ€s dealing with now is coming at the worst possible time.
This is a contract season for Laine. Heâ€s on an expiring $8.7-million cap hit, with $9.1 million in actual salary being paid to him, and the chances of him earning a similar paycheque on his next deal were already slim before this surgery. The 27-year-old is eight seasons removed from his best one in the NHL—a 44-goal, 70-point spree with the Winnipeg Jets—and this most recent surgery is yet another event that will diminish his value.
Laine was hoping to redeem some of it this season, after suffering multiple injuries and doing an extensive stint in the NHL/NHLPA Players†Assistance Program.
But his runway to do so has now been severely reduced.
It appeared it would be non-existent after Laine got injured in his first pre-season game with the Canadiens last year, just six weeks after he was acquired from the Blue Jackets—along with a second-round pick—for Jordan Harris. The knee-on-knee collision with Toronto Marlies centre Cedric Pare left him hobbled, and the initial diagnosis wouldâ€ve left him sidelined for much longer.
Instead, Laine sought a second opinion and ultimately opted for rehabilitation without surgery—a process that kept him out of action for just 24 games before he triumphantly returned against the New York Islanders on Dec. 3 and registered the first of 20 goals and 33 points heâ€d end up mustering over 52 regular-season games.
Laineâ€s performance in the playoffs then left much to be desired, and ultimately left him scratched from three of five games the Canadiens played against the Washington Capitals.
The former second-overall pick said after the series that heâ€d suffered a broken finger, and he also said he was looking forward to getting back to full health and committing to a summer of training that would return him to his once-prolific self.
Laine remained in Montreal for most of it. He spent his days skating and training with several other Canadiens at the teamâ€s south-shore practice facility, which was in sharp contrast to the summer before, when he was rehabbing from shoulder surgery following the completion of his time in the Players†Assistance Program and had only been on the ice three times before arriving in Montreal.
St. Louis was encouraged by the playerâ€s commitment.
“With the amount of work heâ€s put in this summer, we might see the best version of Patty Laine,” he said after the team held its first day of on-ice activity in training camp.
Earlier in the month, Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes told Sportsnet that he felt the messages heâ€d left Laine with during their April exit meeting — and during another summer meeting — were embraced by the player.
“Patrikâ€s an incredibly skilled and talented hockey player. Weâ€ve all seen that from him,†Hughes said in this interview. “I said to him, ‘Hey, letâ€s think about the areas of your game that you need to improve for you to play to more regularly.â€
“I think in Patrikâ€s case, the answers are so obvious. I firmly believe if heâ€s able to make those changes to his game, heâ€s going to have a much better season. And I think heâ€s 100 per cent on board.â€
Perhaps Laine wasnâ€t displaying that notorious skill and talent quite as much through the first five games of the season, but he was displaying much more commitment to the ordinary actions St. Louis demands of all his players at five-on-five.
Granted, Laine was playing between 10 and 14 minutes, which was the same type of ice-time he was getting towards the end of last season.Â
But Laine was building up trust to earn more.
Now thereâ€s no telling if he will have that opportunity again with the Canadiens. His latest possible return, if all goes to plan in his recovery from this most recent surgery, would be in the final week of February, and itâ€s hard to predict what the Canadiens will need at that point.
If they remain fully healthy — and thatâ€s a big if — Laine could have a hard time getting back into their lineup. And the Canadiens potentially adding more forwards before the March 6th trade deadline would only make a stiff competition for ice-time up front stiffer.
Itâ€s also possible Laine will be traded between now and then. His status as a pending unrestricted free agent made that a possibility even before this injury occurred.
Now that Laine has suffered it, heâ€s facing another long recovery, leaving his opportunity to prove his September declaration twisting in the wind.
Itâ€s unfortunate news for the Canadiens, who could use Laine at his best.
But itâ€s particularly bad news for the player, who wanted to show he could quickly redeem his status as an impact player in Montreal.
Discover more from 6up.net
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.