It's hard to believe that Patrik Laine's career has gone on long enough that he was a starring member of Team Finland in the last World Cup of Hockey in 2016. However, nine years later, Laine is back again on the roster for the Four Nations Faceoff alongside his new teammate Joel Armia. It has been a struggle for Laine over the past few weeks with the Montreal Canadiens, but Steven Ellis of Daily Faceoff believes he could play a significant role in the national tournament.
Canadiens fans know by now what they are getting from Laine. He doesn't bring a lot of speed and won't wow you with his strength or consistent skating, but he can stand in the offensive zone and rip pucks into the back of the net all night. Laine's strength can only come from an elite playmaker on his line, which he is missing at even strength with the Canadiens. However, Ellis believes that will change with Finland and labeled Laine as the team's dark horse.
"Which Laine are we going to see? The one who can’t be stopped on the power play, or the one who disappears for games at a time? The Montreal Canadiens have been on a bit of a downturn in recent weeks, with Laine struggling to generate many shots right now. Almost all his goals have come on the man advantage, which has been his specialty throughout his career. Laine is best when he’s playing with quality passers, and if he skates alongside Aleksander Barkov, he can make that happen," Ellis stated. "But if Laine struggles and falls deeper down the lineup, it could get a bit ugly. The Finns don’t have a ton of dangerous shooters – at least, not compared to the other three teams – but if Laine is hot, the Finns might be tougher than anticipated."
Canadiens' interest in Laine's success
Ellis makes a great point that it could get ugly with Finland if Laine can't stay with elite offensive players. The Four Nations Faceoff features teams like Canada and the USA who have deep lineups, and Laine playing in Finland's bottom six with weaker players against those teams' elite third and fourth lines could be a blow to his confidence. Not only will Finland fans benefit from a good tournament for Laine, but Canadiens fans will also have a vested interest.
Montreal might not be going anywhere toward the postseason this year, but the Canadiens still have Laine for another season after this one. It has been a challenge in the past to keep Laine's head in the game, and this tournament could be make-or-break for him going forward. A successful tournament could go a long way in Laine returning to his past form, but a poor tournament where he gets criticism from Finland fans won't be good for anyone.
It's hard to gauge the interest level in this tournament. However, the European teams' fans will want to make a statement at this tournament, no matter how much the North Americans care. This tournament will be an entirely different animal for players with Finland and Sweden.