Montreal Canadiens fans had every reason to let their excitement build when Patrik Laine returned from his knee injury and made an instant impact. He was a powerplay machine, scoring goals from his spot on the left flank, many of which won the Habs games and sent them on their run. However, the worry was always whether Laine could keep up the production, and fans are currently seeing the bad side of him.
Laine has no points in his last seven games. Unsurprisingly, the Canadiens have won just one of those matchups. Plus/minus can sometimes be a misleading stat, but it is worth noting when someone has a line that is so egregiously bad. Laine has been a minus in every game except one, totaling a rating of -8.
Canadiens fans want to return to when he had goals in his first two games and eight in his first nine. The hype surrounding Laine was that he would be the Habs' next great sniper, but you have to wonder if the pressure got to him quicker than we ever thought.
You can't forget that Laine went through a rough time last year with his mental health, which put him in the NHLPA Player Assistance Program. He also had a lengthy absence from a broken clavicle last season, then missed the first two months of this season with a knee injury. It shouldn't be too surprising that he has a lull in his play, and if it wasn't someone with the history of Laine, it could be a non-story.
The issue is that some of the flaws in Laine's game are unfixable, as it is just who he is at this point in his career. The game is passing him by in speed and skill, and Laine's propensity to laze around the attacking and defensive zones doesn't do anything for his production or plus/minus rating. It also doesn't help him with the intelligent Montreal hockey fans, who see a player who is disengaged and won't stand for it with their proud history.
NHL Edge does a great job of tracking players' skating and shooting metrics, and those numbers don't do Laine any favors. Laine's top skating speed is 21.54 mph, he has 24 speed bursts over 20 mph, and his skating distance is 61.78 miles. You must remember he missed some time, but those numbers are well below the league average, putting him below the 50th percentile in all skating metrics.
Laine continues to be one of the best shooters in the game from his NHL Edge statistics. However, if he doesn't figure out a way to use his feet and round out his game, it could be a short tenure in a Habs uniform for the Finnish sniper.