The Montreal Canadiens fanbase was excited at the thought of Patrik Laine joining the lineup after they acquired him from the Columbus Blue Jackets in the offseason. However, they could only get a glimpse of him in the preseason, as a vicious knee-on-knee hit from a Toronto Maple Leafs training camp fill-in caused Laine to miss the season's first two months. However, a few weeks ahead of schedule, Laine returned on Tuesday night against the New York Islanders.
Canadiens fans should know better than anyone that it could take some time to get back up to speed after a knee injury. The Laine injury wasn't as severe as Kirby Dach's last year, but you also have to consider that Laine hasn't played much hockey over the past few seasons.
Laine played 111 games combined in his first two full seasons with the Blue Jackets from 2021 to 2023. He had a hot start to the year last season, but fractured his clavicle after 18 games then entered the NHLPA Player Assistance Program. Laine played two games in the preseason, before exiting with an injury and not returning. In total, Laine played just 20 NHL games in the last 14 months.
Patrik Laine expectations
Laine played at a near point-per-game pace in 2021-22 and 2022-23. He had 26 goals and 30 assists in 56 games in the first season, and 22 goals and 30 assists in 55 games in the second season. The Canadiens will surround Laine with more overall talent in the top six than the Blue Jackets offered, so it'd be easy to see how Laine can reach that threshold again.
Will Laine become a 30+ goal scorer again in Montreal? The worry would be that the Canadiens don't have many true playmakers in their lineup. However, Cole Caufield managed 16 goals this season. It looks like Laine will play with Juraj Slafkovsky and Kirby Dach, who have 12 and 7 assists, respectively.
Laine may not get up to speed right away, and he likely won't catch the top scorers on the team this season. If you predict that Laine will regain his point-per-game form over an entire season, it would put him in a tie for first on the team in points with Nick Suzuki. Suzuki is currently the only Canadien to reach the point-per-game threshold, with Cole Caufield behind him with 22 in 24 and Slafkovsky in third with 14 in 21.
According to a study by RG.org, Laine was among the top ten in shot speed analytics in 2021-22 and 2022-23. It was on full display when he ripped home the shot against the Islanders in his return, but Canadiens fans will want to see plenty more of that. It'll be all about consistency and staying in the lineup for Laine. It could be a perfect fit if he can stay in the lineup this season, build his confidence, have a successful Four Nations Faceoff tournament, and find a home in Montreal.
THE ROOF JUST BLEW OFF THE BELL CENTRE, PATRIK LAINE HAS A GOAL IN HIS FIRST GAME BACK 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/l1SzSGhLHp
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) December 4, 2024
However, if Laine regains his form as one of the top snipers in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons and gives the Canadiens another weapon, the rest should fall into place. It's a one-game sample size, but is Tuesday night's performance a sign of things to come, or are Canadiens fans keeping their expectations tempered?