Canadiens' schedule will help them battle through Patrik Laine's injury

The Montreal Canadiens feared the worst when Patrik Laine left their game last Saturday night with a knee injury. Many speculated that he would miss the entire season with how bad it looked, but the Canadiens announced on Tuesday that he would be healthy in 2-3 months. The best-case scenario for the Canadiens is Laine returning around mid-December, which coincidentally lines up with a Saturday night game against his ex-team, the Winnipeg Jets.

The Canadiens had high hopes of contending for a playoff spot this season, but the Laine injury has tempered some expectations. However, when I look at their schedule, I see a path where Montreal can stay in contention until they get their newest scorer back.

October's portion of the schedule will see them play seven of 11 games at home. The month doesn't start great for Montreal, as they begin the season with back-to-back games against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins. The next stretch of games is winnable, and getting most of those games at home helps. The New York Rangers are the only scary team on the schedule, as the other playoff teams from last season they play have taken a step back.

November has a similar feel with the difficulty of their schedule. They play just four 2023-24 playoff teams out of 12 games but have seven of 12 on the road.

The Canadiens play 23 games through October and November. There are nine of those games against playoff teams from last season. The Canadiens have a favorable schedule to begin the season which gets much tougher in 2025, but by that time, the Canadiens hope to be fully healthy.