Patrik Laine: “I’m not convinced the habs are happy that he’s ahead of schedule in his rehabilitation.”

Marc-Olivier Cook
Patrik Laine: “I’m not convinced the habs are happy that he’s ahead of schedule in his rehabilitation.”
Credit: Getty Images

Patrik Laine is feeling better.

The forward, who hasn't played since October 16, resumed practice with his teammates in the last few days. He's still training like an extra because he's not 100% ready to return to the game, but he's making progress.

When will he be back? We're not sure. And you have to wonder if that makes Martin St-Louis happy…

After all, the current recipe is working. And to get Laine into the lineup… you also have to get a player out. Therein lies the big dilemma. And it leads Jean-François Chaumont to believe that Laine's return to the game doesn't necessarily delight the Montreal organization.

At first we thought he wouldn't be back before the Olympic break, but he's already in unrestricted practice.

I'm not convinced that they're happy to see that he's ahead of schedule in his rehabilitation. – Jean-François Chaumont

The journalist also asserts that we could wait to see another player injured before seeing Laine make his return to the lineup:

There's an internal battle going on and it's complicating Martin St-Louis' job. But…

But recently, one player has found himself at the heart of some criticism and is being targeted for his poor performances. I'm talking about Zachary Bolduc… who would already be under other skies if some Québécois were at the helm of the Canadiens instead of Kent Hughes.

No, the solution is not to trade Zachary Bolduc. The guy's 22 and getting hit by the second-year jinx.

The solution would be to send him to Laval, not elsewhere. The Habs would have the luxury of sending him to the AHL and, at the same time, they could make room for Laine to get back into Martin St-Louis' lineup.

But hey. That's a discussion for when Laine is actually ready to return to the game. For now, let's let the guys in place demonstrate that they want to stay in the line-up… because if some continue to struggle [insert Bolduc's name here], it might make Martin St-Louis' decisions easier.


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