The Montreal Canadiens acquired Patrik Laine this offseason from the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Canadiens traded defenseman Jordan Harris while also receiving a second-round pick in the deal. Laine was brought in to be the difference maker in the Habs offence. However, he went down with an injury in the preseason that kept him out of action for two months. Upon his return to play, he helped spark the Canadiens to win 14 of 17 games. Recently, the team has been in a free fall and Laine’s struggles have been a big piece of that. But what has caused him to seemingly lose his confidence, and what does it mean for his future with Montreal?
Patrik Laine Struggling for the Montreal Canadiens
Laine’s Impact on Montreal’s Offence
When Laine arrived he instantly helped turn Montreal’s offence around. Playing on the second line with Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook helped give the team a balanced top-six. Laine scored eight goals in his first nine games for Montreal, all of which came on the power play. Laine’s shooting threat from the dot on the power play revitalized the top unit for Montreal. It has opened up a lot of space for players like Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, Nick Suzuki, and Lane Hutson on the power play.
Having Laine on the team seemingly inspired confidence throughout the lineup. It gives the team a lot more options lineup-wise by adding another skilled forward into the mix. Recently though, he hasn’t been having the same impact offensively.
What is Causing Laine’s Recent Struggles
After the hot start to his Habs tenure, Laine has gone goal-less in eight games and pointless in his last six. He has lost the trust of head coach Martin St. Louis,who benched Laine in the third period of back-to-back contests. Laine seemingly has lost the confidence and momentum that he had early on. His play has lacked intensity and pace which is likely the reason for his benching. He was demoted to the third line alongside Jake Evans and Joel Armia for the past two games.
On the power play, it seems like he hasn’t had much of an impact either. Laine’s shot hasn’t looked as dangerous which could be partially due to some teams figuring out the puck is likely going his way. Regardless, he has been a play-killer anytime the puck has been on his stick with the man advantage. In all fairness to Laine, he hasn’t played much hockey over the past two seasons. Nobody expected him to get out to the scorching hot start he did. Even when he was scoring in bunches, he wasn’t dominating the game at five-on-five. He likely needs some more time to readjust to the pace of the NHL. He is also coming off of a major lower-body injury which also takes time to fully recover from. However, Laine needs to find a way to be effective at five-on-five or his Habs tenure may not last long.
Future Outlook for Laine with the Canadiens
Laine has one more year left on his contract beyond this season. The deal is paying him 8.7 million a year, all of which goes against the Canadiens cap as the Blue Jackets didn’t retain any salary. The Canadiens are eligible to sign Laine to an extension as of July 1st. However, they are likely to choose to be cautious with an extension. Laine has an extensive injury history as well as a history of lazy and uninspired play especially away from the puck. Some of which we might already be seeing in his current play. The team will give Laine time but he needs to prove himself if he wants to be a Canadien long-term.
Laine has a golden opportunity to revitalize his career in Montreal and will be given every opportunity to do so. However, he will need to buy into what the Canadiens are building. If he can’t be a consistent offensive threat then he doesn’t bring much to the table in regards to the rest of his game. There are already some tensions building with the head coach which does not bode well for the future. With a lot of youngsters like Ivan Demidov, Michael Hage, and Joshua Roy in the prospect pool, Laine needs to show he deserves to be a fixture in the top-six. If he doesn’t the team will likely move on from him in favour of a younger, more cost-effective option for the future.
Main Photo- David Kirouac- Imagn Images
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