It was a bittersweet moment for Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis.
During the latter stages of Monday’s practice at the CN Sports Complex in Brossard, injured winger Patrik Laine hobbled to the team bench — on crutches and with his left knee heavily braced.
While no update was provided on Laine’s condition — he was the victim of a knee-on-knee collision from Toronto’s Cedric Paré during the first period of Saturday’s exhibition game against the Maple Leafs — it would be surprising if he’s not lost for the season with torn ligaments.
“The saddest thing about what happened, and what makes it a little bit harder with what happened during the game, we felt like the No. 1 job we had to do is make (Laine) excited to come to the rink. And he was,” St. Louis said. “That’s what’s hard today.
“It stings a little more. I feel like he was excited to come to the rink.”
Laine was acquired by the Canadiens in August — along with a 2026 second-round draft choice — from Columbus for defenceman Jordan Harris. At 6-foot-4 and 208 pounds, the 26-year-old Finnish native was expected to add size and much-needed offence to a team that has struggled scoring goals last season.
Laine produced a career-high 44 goals with Winnipeg in 2017-18, his second NHL season, and has scored 20 or more goals in six of his nine big-league seasons. He was expected to play on Montreal’s second line, with Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook. Laine also would have received considerable power-play time.
Laine, however, was limited to 18 games last season with the Blue Jackets after fracturing his clavicle in December. He then spent six months in the league’s player assistance program to address mental health issues he was experiencing.
An early-season injury is nothing new for St. Louis or his team, which lost Dach two games into the 2023-24 campaign, with a season-ending knee injury that required surgery. The Canadiens set an NHL record with 720 man-games lost to injury in 2021-22, then broke that mark the following season, when 751 man-games were lost.
This has been a recurring problem that appears to have no solution.
“I don’t think my goal or purpose has changed,” St. Louis said. “We’re delusional if we think we’re going to go 82 games with the same 23 guys. It’s a hard league. Other teams are going to face the same thing. You’ve just to keep going. If you change your outlook based on something you can’t control, you’re not going to keep going.
“You can’t change what happened, and that’s how it is with everything.”
There also was no update on injured defenceman David Reinbacher, selected fifth overall by Montreal in 2023, who was checked hard into the boards by Toronto’s Marshall Rifai, seconds after the opening faceoff. Reinbacher fell awkwardly and appeared to twist his left knee.
The injuries leave the Canadiens with 15 forwards, nine defencemen and three goaltenders heading into Tuesday night’s home exhibition game against Ottawa (7 p.m., TSN2, TSN5, RDS, TSN 690 Radio, 98.5 FM). St. Louis and his assistants undoubtedly will be monitoring the situation closely, watching which players seize these opportunities with at least one, if not two, openings created.
“We get back to internal competition,” St. Louis said. “Not just new players, regular guys that are here. Veterans.”
Nonetheless, one newcomer who might benefit is 21-year-old rookie forward Oliver Kapanen, who was born in Sweden but represents Finland internationally. Selected in the second round (64th overall) by the Canadiens in 2021, the 6-foot-1, 194 pounder must be returned to Timrå IK of the Swedish Hockey League if he doesn’t crack Montreal’s roster. Kapanen signed a two-year contract with Timrå last May.
“Of course it’s on my mind,” Kapanen admitted. “It’s stressful but it’s not something that I think about — where I’m going to play and what’s going to happen. I try not to think about that too much on and off the ice. I just want to live in the moment and give my best here. We’ll see what’s going to happen after that.”
Kapanen believes he’s ready for the rigours of NHL play and that his game’s suited for North America. He believes he’s playing well and with confidence, but noted a return to Europe would at least provide him with considerable ice time.
While St. Louis likes what he has seen from Kapanen in two weeks, he stopped short of guaranteeing him a roster position.
“Is he physically and mentally ready?” the coach wondered. “Do we need what he brings? There are so many things that come into play. It’s not just one thing. So far, I like what I’ve seen.”
Meanwhile, winger Josh Anderson (therapy day) didn’t practice on Monday. Defenceman Kaiden Guhle, who had his appendix removed, participated in a non-contact jersey.