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This morning, Samuel Montembeault was seen skating with the Canadiens' extras. At first, it was a telling piece of information about the Canadiens' plans.
That said, the story quickly became secondary.
After all, when you learn that Patrik Laine will miss three to four months due to an operation (sports hernia), let's just say it has the effect of putting the discussion of the “sacrosanct” goaltending controversy on the back burner.
Laine may have missed the last few games, but officially, he was day-to-day. So it had to be taken for granted, up to a point, that he was likely to return in the short term.
But hey. The more time passed, the more we suspected it was going to be a long one. Seeing him miss the trip out West was an important clue.
And now we're at the stage where an absence of three or four months means Laine will be back at the end of January or the end of February.
But with February devoted to the Olympics (which he's more likely than ever to miss), we can't really expect him back in town before the end of February – if all goes well.
All this is a real shame for Laine. He seemed in good shape to start the new season, which is the last of his current contract.
But life threw him another curveball. He probably doesn't find it funny… and neither does his agent. #Contract
Can't help but feel for #Habs Patrik Laine who was approaching this year as a redemption season.
The timeline for his recovery will likely mean Laine will miss out on representing Finland at the Olympics in February as well. https://t.co/lsCq3fDF43– Priyanta Emrith (@HabsInHighHeels) October 25, 2025
But of necessity, one has to wonder if Laine, who is not in line to sign a contract extension with the Habs, has played the last game of his career with the Montreal Canadiens. It's a real possibility.
Come February, as the trade deadline approaches and the playoff race enters the NHL, maybe Martin St-Louis just won't have room for him in his lineup.
Maybe so, too. Who knows what will happen in four long months?
And with the new salary cap rules for the playoffs (the on-ice lineup must conform to the cap), leaving Laine out of the playoffs wouldn't be a problem for those in charge of the salary cap.
extension
At this point, it's safe to say that Martin St-Louis can now sign on for the long term. It's no longer just a question of replacing Laine in the short term, while waiting for details. This will simplify the coach's job.
At the moment, here are the 13 players who are healthy at forward.
- Nick Suzuki
- Cole Caufield
- Juraj Slafkovsky
- Ivan Demidov
- Alex Newhook
- Oliver Kapanen
- Jake Evans
- Brendan Gallagher
- Josh Anderson
- Zachary Bolduc
- Joe Veleno
- Kirby Dach
- Joshua Roy
We know that Kirby Dach has recently missed games due to injury. Will he miss more games? Does the Canadiens have confidence in his health?
This must have an impact on the role of the 13th forward.
If the Canadiens had Samuel Blais, it would be simple. But now the Habs have to decide if they want to keep Joshua Roy in the stands for several more games.
If the plan is to get a guy who'll play more regularly eventually, will Roy be replaced by another player? And will that guy be Florian Xhekaj?
