Patrik Laine : nobody believes he has the flu right now (to Evgenii Dadonov)

The honeymoon is really over between Patrik Laine and the Canadiens’ fans.

The time when we wanted to offer him a contract extension is also over. Montreal is a place loved by players, but it doesn’t fix all the gaps of a guy, let’s say.

Right now, it’s mostly his flaws that are showing.

Laine, who didn’t play on Saturday night due to flu symptoms, didn’t train yesterday either. And he won’t do it this morning since the CH won’t take to the ice before the game against the Canucks, in Vancouver.

But does he really have the flu? Because listening to Luc Gélinas, who spoke about the player yesterday on 5 to 7, it’s very likely that all this is just a smoke screen hidden behind the excuse of flu symptoms.

Nobody here believes he has the flu. – Luc Gélinas

Links have been made with Evgenii Dadonov two years ago. He had been left out on the pretext that he had the flu, but he was still at the arena with his Canadiens teammates and in the club’s entourage.

And apparently, it’s the same thing that applies here. It doesn’t smell good for him, all this…

What we need to know is that this is the second time Laine has missed games due to the flu this season – since December. And the first time, he was training apart from the group… but he was going to meet young people on the same day.

Let’s say it’s easy to believe that Laine, who played for only 10 minutes against the Oilers on March 6, is maybe less sick than we think. We’re not accusing him of anything, but we’re wondering.

Does this mean that the Canadiens prefer to play Michael Pezzetta over Patrik Laine? Or can Laine not play, but for a reason other than the flu?

Because if Laine can really play, but is being left out by his coach, it means that recalling Joshua Roy was a luxury and not an emergency. Right? #LaGrippeALeDosLarge

If Laine is being left out ( without it hurting the CH too much) by hiding it all behind the excuse of the flu, we can think that a page from Pascal Vincent’s book has been taken by Martin St-Louis.

Last year, in Columbus, the Rocket’s coach (and former Blue Jackets coach) had left Laine out and it had caused a stir. My colleague Maxime Truman, a few months ago, tweeted this on the subject.

I’m being told that when he benched Laine last season, Pascal Vincent had rather given his player a break who wasn’t feeling well, while taking the heat on his shoulders. – Maxime Truman

Let’s also note that if Laine is indeed being left out and the CH is playing Pezz in a playoff race, it clearly shows that the Canadiens lack depth. It’s a theme that keeps coming back these days.

The situation hasn’t finished making people talk, I think. Especially because of the standings… #QuatrePointsDesSéries

In a nutshell

– Ah yeah?

– Who are the top prospects for the 2025 draft? [NYT]

– Which teams are the favorites to win the Stanley Cup? [NYT]

– Good question.