Patrik Laine did a lot for Adam Fantilli in his league debut

For a little over 48 hours now, Patrik Laine has been the talk of the town, and of the NHL as a whole.

Everyone has reacted to the transaction, that’s for sure. Now, while this transaction may represent a few red flags for the Habs, the “bad teammate” one was quickly denied by Kent Hughes and former teammates, among others.

And Adam Fantilli is one of the Finn’s former teammates who didn’t find the forward toxic in the dressing room. In fact, he says just the opposite: Fantilli said he found the Finn an excellent team-mate.

Adam Fantilli shares his thoughts on Patrik Laine:

“Yeah, obviously he had some personal things he had to take care of. That’s why he entered the program and I’ve talked to him and it seems like he’s doing well, seems like he’s ready to get back into the game and into the grind…

– Dropping the Gloves (@dropping_gloves) August 21, 2024

That’s what he told Dropping the Gloves. You’ll be able to hear the episode in full tomorrow.

When Fantilli, a top-3 pick in the 2023 draft (like Laine), arrived in the big league, the Canadiens’ new forward did a lot for him. He let him stay at his home and took him out to eat a few times, among other things. In short, he did what a good leader and teammate would do. He took him under his wing.

I’m convinced that remarks about his egocentricity can now cease to be made…

Fantilli is aware that Laine had off-ice problems and needed a change of scenery, but now that that’s settled, he wishes nothing but success for a guy who helped him greatly in his big league debut.

Overtime

– Two Avalanche players got married this summer.

Wedding bells (x2) for the Colorado Avalanche recently this summer… 🥹

via @Avalanche pic.twitter.com/jcu7K6mGeC

– BarDown (@BarDown) August 22, 2024