Canadiens: Four Nations Faceoff a Chance for Patrik Laine to Reset in midst of Uncertain Future

Having the confidence of an Auston Matthews or a Mitch Marner or a Connor McDavid can be great for a player in terms of their production, but ultimately, a players confidence in their own abilities need to match that of their actual abilities, and while that is the case for Laine sometimes, when it isn't, he can't repeatedly act like the team around him, or the coaches, or whatever else, are the reason why. Patrik Laine can be a talented and proven NHL scorer when he wants to be and when he's in his groove, but he isn't Connor McDavid, and isn't seen in the same regard as the NHLs elite players. He may think he is, and he's shown the potential to be, but you can't go -9 in an eight-game stretch and expect people to still think that, and Hughes and company have to figure out how to use those offensive gifts, while still making sure he doesn't create the same problems here he did in both Winnipeg and Columbus.

So far, he hasn't caused issues in the locker room, and his play has at times been indicative of that player who went second overall, but the road ahead is still uncertain, and, at the end of the day, Laine is still Laine, for both the good and bad. Hopefully, this Four Nations Faceoff can help in hhim finding a bit of that groove again, as when he's on, there are few players hotter offensively in the NHL. However, in recent months, the Canadiens have largely been shown the inverse of that.

As we continue to watch this most recent international tournament, with teams preparing for the playoff push that comes after, there's an excitement from fans, and a hope from management, coaches and players alike, that we can see more of the Patrik Laine that the Montreal Canadiens expected to see, this season.