Patrik Laine is disappointed that he wasn’t traded at the deadline

Patrik Laine has been a bit of a headache this season. The Finnish forward played five games early in the season, then underwent surgery… and was completely sidelined after that.

He has been practicing with the team over the past few months, but he never seemed close to playing.

That's why it was almost a bit surprising to see him speak today. But the Finn appeared before the media… and he gave some interesting answers.

First, Laine addressed the trade deadline, when he could have been traded (possibly for a defenseman), and he said he was disappointed not to have been traded. He then added that he's happy to have been able to follow the Habs during their playoff run, but he mentioned that, like any competitor, he would have liked to have played.

Because yes, even though Laine was on the injured list, he was actually healthy. It's not exactly a surprise, but Laine confirmed that he was healthy during the playoffs.

And in fact, he's had the green light for quite some time. The Finn mentioned that he would have been able to return shortly after January 1st.

Patrik Laine tells us he'd had the green light from the doctors for quite some time.

He started practicing with the team again in January and says he could have played at that point.

He just wasn't part of the plans anymore.

“We'll see where the wind takes me”

— Patrick Friolet (@PFrioletRDS) June 1, 2026

Laine didn't want to go into too much detail about how he found out he wouldn't be playing this year. He simply mentioned that he's looking forward to seeing where the wind takes him next year and that he'll miss the city of Montreal, as well as the Habs organization.

It's no surprise, but don't expect to see him sign a new contract in town: he's practically confirmed it himself.

Extension

It's interesting to note that during his press conference, Laine stated that he's never been asked to waive his no-trade clause… but his response was odd.

Laine mentioned that “that's why he has agents” as additional information regarding that question. But the Finn claims he was never asked the question.