A Montreal Canadiens veteran forward’s time with the team could be drawing to an end. This veteran forward has been on the shelf once again to start this season, and may be looking at a long absence.
The forward in question is Patrik Laine. He last played for the club during the team’s overtime victory against the Nashville Predators last Thursday. He played a little over 12 minutes and did not look particularly impressive.
Laine is officially day-to-day. However, according to RDS’ Patrick Friolet, the Finnish winger has sought a second opinion regarding his injury. What that injury is precisely, is not clear. Laine is out with a lower-body injury.
PuckPedia also cited Eric Engels’ report that Laine is looking for said second opinion and could be related to a knee injury he sustained during the Canadiens’ preseason last year.
The former second-overall pick suffered a knee-on-knee collision during a preseason game last fall, keeping him out of the lineup to start the season. Laine returned late last November and looked fairly productive. He scored 20 goals despite playing just 52 games.
The 27-year-old has just one goal in five games this season for the Canadiens and is in the final year of his current four-year contract. With younger players like Ivan Demidov and Zack Boduc pushing for more ice time, it could be that Laine’s time could be drawing to an end in Montreal.
The club will be eager to get more news on Laine’s injury and what the prognosis may be.
Canadiens May Move on from Laine
This season is the final year of Laine’s $8.7 million cap hit on the Canadiens’ books. The contract seemed doable for Montreal a couple of seasons ago as the Habs weren’t expected to contend just yet.
However, that changed last season when the Canadiens made the playoffs. Now, Laine’s contract looks like a bit of an albatross. The Habs made a series of moves, including trading Carey Price’s contract, just to clear up enough cap space for this season.
Since Laine will become a UFA this summer, it’s unlikely the Canadiens bring him back. Perhaps Montreal may consider another deal at a significantly discounted price. However, that may seem unlikely as Laine is not a typical fourth-line grinder.
Plus, his injury history may be too much of a gamble for the Canadiens at this point. A fully healthy, productive Laine is a dangerous weapon to have. But that doesn’t seem to be the case, anyone more the once uber-talented goal scorer.
Habs Could Get Some Relief if Laine Hits LTIR
The Canadiens could get some relief if Patrik Laine goes on LTIR. The Habs could shift his entire cap hit to LTIR if need be. That situation could help the Canadiens fill out holes in their roster, such as landing a 2C.
The Habs might also want to dip their toes into the goalie market to land a third-string option. Additionally, the team may want to find some additional bottom-six forward depth. So, their current $4 million in cap space plus Laine’s $8.7 million could go a long way towards getting the pieces the team needs to round out the roster.
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