Hockey

Patrik Laine: “It’s clear that the Canadiens won’t be renewing his contract”
Charles-Alexis Brisebois
Patrik Laine: “It’s clear that the Canadiens won’t be renewing his contract”
Credit: Getty Images

Patrik Laine is injured until 2026.

He should be back in three or four months… but as the Olympics are three months away, that means we shouldn't necessarily expect him back before the Games.

Basically, that's my reading of the situation.

In the short term, there are players who will be fighting for more playing time. And since Laine wasn't really playing big minutes at even strength, that's being replaced.

But above all, this gives Martin St-Louis the chance to create trios with more defined identities. Laine, with his erratic five-on-five play, wasn't in the right chair when he was playing.

All these reasons make it harder than ever to imagine Laine staying in town after the current season, which is the last of his contract.

And on this subject, Antoine Roussel, in the podcast Sortie de zone, hit the nail on the head for me.

It's clear that the Canadiens won't be renewing Patrik Laine's contract. – Antoine Roussel

The former NHLer's point is that the player doesn't really fit into the fast, hard-working identity the Canadiens are trying to build.

It's also questionable how well he fits into the dressing room.

Fans of Laine (and his enormous talent) will say that there's still time to put things right… but it's clear that the situation is becoming increasingly difficult.

Clearly, we have to expect a split within a year. Especially since there are plenty of top-six guys (Laine's ideal role) growing up in the Canadiens' subsidiaries, which makes Laine's shot less important.

The injury means the Canadiens don't have to play him in the meantime, but it also means the Finn will be harder than ever to trade at the trade deadline.

But for now, the priority for the player and the club's doctors is to get him back to full health. After that, we'll see where the season takes him.


overtime

– It's a record in series history for whoever pitches tonight. Reminder: the Blue Jays lost in 18 innings yesterday.

– Now that's funny.

– Did the guys stay up late to watch the Blue Jays? At least they're out West…

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