The Montreal Canadiens and Patrik Laine have high hopes for the 2024-2025 season.
Understandably so; Laine hasn't played to his standards and he is only 26 years old, so he knows that he can get back to his old ways. He is also a tough critic on himself, which gets him to play to the best of his ability. With the motivation of playing in a hockey hotbed like Montreal, it shouldn't all that difficult to be excited to play.
He is also aware that sometimes, cobwebs are a real thing, it will take some time to shake the dust off. Laine has had a little bit of time during preseason, but the pace will change when the regular season starts. That is perhaps when Laine will show his rust, but he will also show how hard he pushes himself to perform at the level that he knows he is capable off.
Patrik Laine on pushing himself and staying patient per Patrick Friolet #thesickpodcast #GoHabsGo @TonyMarinaro pic.twitter.com/U82Qbnm8j2
— The Sick Podcast with Tony Marinaro (@thesickpodcasts) September 27, 2024
Patience is one of the toughest virtues to employ, but the Canadiens and Laine will be better off because of it.
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While it can be a delicate balance, challenging himself and the team to achieve greatness will be huge for the Habs going forward. Demanding a lot from the team is one thing, everybody wants the team to succeed as a cohesive unit. But the fact that he will challenge himself and be disappointed if things don't go well, should endear him to his teammates.
“I’m pretty hard on myself, I’d say. If you guys haven’t seen it yet but I’m sure you will. Obviously I know what I’m capable of & what I’m here to do. When it’s not going that way, I’m really hard on myself, demanding a lot, obviously from myself & from my teammates as well, if… pic.twitter.com/yUYa2LoWJl
— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) September 27, 2024
The fans have yet to see who Laine is as a person, only his crazy shot and his great offensive zone awareness. But the competitor that he is, is something that should fit nicely into the Canadiens locker room. Especially since the team is hoping to turn a corner and make a hard push towards the playoffs.
Laine is aware that it's easier said than done to perform at your best when things just don't go the right way. But he is also aware that pushing himself and his teammates is the best way to get the most out of the season. Success happens over time from practice and repetition, but also the awareness that you can get 1% better each day.
With guys like Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Brendan Gallagher and Mike Matheson heading the leadership group, both directly and indirectly, Laine won't need to be relied on to lead. But he can join the group and become a nice complement, who is relied on to create offence and put the puck in the net. If Laine can get back to what made him successful in the past, then the Habs will have quite the resurgent offensive weapon in the fold.