Montreal Canadiens 2024 Year-in-Review: Patrik Laine

The 2024 year was supposed to be different for the Montreal Canadiens. They believed their rebuild was starting to end, and they wondered whether 2024 would end with them looking ahead to a run at the playoffs in 2025. The year ended with a string of wins that elevated them to sixth place in the Atlantic Division, but they are still seven points behind in a playoff race. This series will examine how each player performed over the 2024 calendar year. Next up is the newest powerplay specialist, Patrik Laine.

The main thing about 2024 for Patrik Laine is that he found a way to get happy and healthy after a difficult couple of years in Columbus. After fracturing his clavicle at the end of 2023, Laine missed the rest of the season because of his recovery and a stint in the NHLPA Player Assistance Program. Laine wanted a fresh start, and it came in the form of a Montreal Canadiens team that needed some more offensive punch.

It isn't a mystery of how to become loved by the city of Montreal. The easiest way to do it is to be a valuable contributor to their professional hockey franchise, and Laine has exceeded all expectations in 2024. It may only be a 12 game stint, but Laine already has eight goals and two assists. It isn't easy to do what Laine has done so far, considering he didn't play a regular season game in 2024 until the final month and played sparingly in 2023.

A little bit of rust would have been okay, but Laine has shown none of it. He may not be completely up to speed after the knee injury, but he seems to be getting better every game. The most significant question now as Laine heads into 2025 with two seasons left on his contract is whether Kent Hughes will find a way to extend him once he becomes eligible in July 2025.

They acquired Laine as an experiment, and barring a big change in his attitude or production over the next few months, he will likely become part of Montreal's future plans.