Patrik Laine’s wife is “mentally preparing” for the deadline

There's a lot of talk about the Canadiens' surplus of forwards these days.

The injured players are returning to play in Montreal. That means, eventually, there's going to be a surplus, and big decisions are going to have to be made.

The Habs can't send guys to Laval in industrial quantities either, you know.

Yes, additional injuries could be a game-changer, but it's also likely that Kent Hughes will have to move guys out of his organization at some point.

Theoretically, everyone understands that Patrik Laine is likely to be out. The Finn, who's at the end of his contract, isn't likely to be back in town next season… and the way the lineup is built, it'll be hard to get him to play.

Taking his $8.7M salary out of the pot could help the Habs' cause, then. I don't think there'll be much of a scramble for his services… but hey.

In any case, it's clear that the wife of the main player is concerned. Jordan Laine confirmed it in a post on social networks.

Source: https://t.co/XQBuypCqYv

– /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) January 17, 2026

In a video, she said she would be in Ottawa for tonight's game, even though Laine won't be playing. She added that her husband is in the last year of his contract, so she's preparing for the trade deadline.

Did she just say that Patrik Laine will be traded? No. But she did just say that she's worried, which makes a trade scenario more likely in the eyes of the fans.

Should she probably have kept that information to herself? Possibly, yes. In a market like Montreal, maybe it's just as well to say less sometimes.

We'll see what Kent Hughes decides in the coming weeks.

extension

Still, it's a reminder that, mentally, moments like these are difficult not only for the players, but also for their families, of course.

The world of sports is not the ideal #1 domain for stability, let's say.