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Patrik Laine, forward for the Montreal Canadiens, has had an absurd amount of bad luck in recent years, culminating in a knee injury that sidelined him from his NHL debut.

Patience Medication
Compared to the usual injury news out of Montreal, the fact that his recuperation duration was shorter than a full calendar year was somewhat optimistic for the franchise. The Canadiens can make educated guesses about how his comeback will affect the lineup now that he’s skating with some of the regulars.

The best course of action at this time is to exercise patience, as Renaud Lavoie has indicated that Laine might be ready to play by the end of November. Knees aren’t easy, and Laine shouldn’t be rushed back into the starting lineup.

Enjoys a day on the ice with his Brossard crew members pic.twitter.com/Jm2KP3wnyX

This sentence was tweeted by Nicolas Cloutier on November 17, 2024.

The Effect of Patrik Laine on the Montreal Canadiens’ Starting Five
There is a plethora of lineup possibilities available to Laine once he finds his groove. Laine has scored 66 goals in 175 games over the past four seasons, defying the exaggerated narrative that he had lost his scoring touch in recent years.

Not that we should anticipate constant scoring from the get-go, but the Canadiens could use his scoring touch on all three lines, especially the first unit with Nick Suzuki at the helm.

Therefore, he would be best served by starting on the second or third line, where he would face opponents of significantly lower quality. In the long run, Kirby Dach’s return is crucial for Martin St-Louis to have a viable scoring option on the second line and help grow him into a center who can have a big impact every game. This would also make things easier for St-Louis.

Laine, who hasn’t played a game since 2023, is another factor to think about. Just like Dach, the 26-year-old Finn will need a lot of games to get back to his old self. Since the Canadiens aren’t in a true playoff hunt, they can afford to give Laine as many chances as he needs to finish the season, even if half of the season isn’t enough to get him up to speed.

In addition to enhancing his performance as a whole, Laine’s mental health—a crucial concern for all sportsmen, but particularly for him and his fiancée—will benefit greatly from enough opportunities.

Next season will be Laine’s real test, thus the rest of 2024–25 will only be a tune-up for a guy who will likely require time to shake off the injury rust that has built up over the past few seasons.