NHL Entry Draft and Free Agent Frenzy completed, the dog days of summer clothing while NHL management groups take a bit of a breath before the training camps start. In this series I will try to investigate every schedule of Montreal Canadiens, summarize their last season and look ahead to this coming season. I will look at their place in the organization, their role and their possible impact.
Related: Montreal Canadiens 2025-26 Player examples: Juraj Slafkovsky
In the next step of the series we continue with our view of the forward group of the Canadiens, with Patrik Laine.
2024-25 season Summary
Laine was traded on the Canadiens In the summer of 2024 after applying for an exchange of the Columbus Blue Jackets. It gave him the new start he was looking for in a market that hockey matters. For Columbus it was essentially a cap dump, so that they could throw out the last two seasons of his four -year -old dealpay him $ 8.7 million per season.
Fans were excited to see him step on the ice in a pre -season match against the Toronto Maple Leafs, who sing the name of the Finnish star every time he was on the ice. Unfortunately it was short -lived when he injured his knee in a collision with a Toronto Marlies Vooruit. Once he played, he produced, scored 20 goals and 33 points in 52 games, and of those points 15 goals and four assists on The Power Play (PP). If he had played a full 82 games, that would have set him at pace for 31 goals (23 pp goals) and 52 points.
The team struggled for in-depth attack in the first few months of the 2024-25 season when they waited for his return. But as soon as he returned to the club in December, he had an immediate impact. In December he scored eight goals, all at the Power play, and achieved Molson Cup -awards for the month of December as the Canadiens player with the most star elections. During the season he delivered what was expected when he led the team, and finished fourth in the NHL in PP goals and offered an extra scoring wing for the second line. Halfway through the season, Laine Came to Finland for the 4 Nations Face-Off. It was a good measuring stick for Laine, but it was also used to help him continue to polish his play. After missing a large amount of time at the start of the season, the 4 nations offered him the opportunity to prove that he can compete on a large stage.
“We came in this tournament and many said we would not win games, and we saw that even from the Finnish media a tournament was for us where we are going to prove that we can compete against someone, which we have usually shown that we can play against these guys. It is a good step in the direction of the Olympics to see where we can see as a country.”
Patrik Laine
As soon as the play -offs arrived, he was only able to play in two games, where he had only recorded and was one assist not available for the club due to injuryAgain, this time to his hand.
2025-26 season expectations
Laine is an interesting case for Montreal. Most players on the Roster that arrives in the 2025-26 season have a well-defined role or well-known chemistry with another player, making it easier to build lines. However, Laine does not really fit in, except on the PP. The 27-year-old was defensively a liability and has difficulty keeping pace with the fast, fast system of the Canadiens, which can be accused to a certain extent that he is not fully recovered from the knee injury, and therefore health will be the key to Laine, which is in the last year of his contract. He was able to play three times 70 or more matches in his NHL career, and when he does that, he scores 30 or more goals, including his career High 44 goals in 2017-18.
It will be difficult to defend Laine when his only production comes on the Power play, and he has been a liability in equally strength, historically. Something he has shown the willingness to work on head coach Martin St. Louis. However, it is difficult to think that Laine is not hitting the gym and this season is training for an explosion. The best news is that in one Interview with a papers in the Finnish languageLaine says he is both physically and mentally in excellent condition.
“Now I have been able to fully train since May. It is a slightly different starting point for the season, because you don’t have to start during recovery.”
Patrik Laine
He continued to explain that he feels much better in body and mind compared to last season. Last summer Line trained only three weeks before the start of the campaign. This summer he trains almost daily since the Canadiens were eliminated in the play -offs.
Laine is aware that his strengths, such as his shot and offensive zone instincts, are close to the top of the competition. He is unmistakably elite as a PP specialist, but inadequate in other areas, such as defensive. It will be difficult for Laine to prove that he earns a long -term contract when his only production comes to the Power Play and remains liability on the defensive side of the Puck. Part of the problem last season was that it was clear that he was a step behind his completely healthy teammates when Montreal trusted at speed and pace to compete, two areas in which he has to concentrate to return to his full offensive form.
To concentrate on his training, Laine chose to stay in Montreal, allowing him to have access to the staff and facilities of the Canadiens, making it easier to concentrate on his goal to return to full health. He is also clearly motivated, because during the Recently released preview of the second season From the “The Rebuild” documentary about Crave, one thing that stood out was how clear Line was motivated to prove doubters incorrectly. With Laine says, “Whoever uses me will lose all his money.”
This season Line has to find the extra equipment outside season, because he will be an ideal line for the Nieuwe Rookie, Ivan Demidov. A line with Demidov that nourishes creative and well-placed steps for an elite shooter such as Laine could offer the team a big leap in goals for. Without a better cardiobassis, Laine’s ability to weigh Backcheck defensively, and that would not send a positive message to the potential superstar of the Canadiens. Would Line fit better on a third line instead? Maybe. His performance in the training camp will tell the story about what the season will look like for him. It is also easy to forget that he is only 27 years old and is still in his prime.
To say that this season could be the most important thing about Laine’s career, an understatement would be. His wish to prove that he is an elite player, someone who can be a core for a fighting team is high. Even if that was his most important motivation, the fact is in a contract year, and looking for another large money deal offers extra incentive.
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