Sleep, Patrik Laine admitted, was hard to come by Monday night. And he arose earlier than usual Tuesday morning.
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Laine, 26, might be in his ninth NHL season, but this is his first with the storied Canadiens. Slightly more than two months after suffering what appeared to be a debilitating knee injury in an exhibition game against Toronto, the Finnish forward is scheduled to make his regular-season debut Tuesday night at the Bell Centre against the New York Islanders — and not a moment too soon for a struggling team that can be offensively challenged, among numerous other ailments.
“Just excited,” Laine told a media throng following the team’s Tuesday morning skate. “Yesterday there were a lot of different emotions and I was kind of nervous a little bit. I finally get this thing over with. Happy to be back on the ice with the guys.”
Laine hasn’t played a regular-season game in almost a year, suiting up for Columbus against Toronto last Dec. 14. He was acquired in an Aug. 19 trade along with a second-round 2026 draft pick for defenceman Jordan Harris.
Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis has decided to play Laine, 6-foot-4 and 208 pounds, on a line with Kirby Dach and Juraj Slafkovsky. The line will have size if nothing else: Dach is 6-foot-4 and 221 pounds, and Slafkovsky is 6-foot-3 and weighs 225. But the latter two have struggled all season. Slafkovsky has two goals and 14 points in 21 games, and Dach has 1-7-8 totals in 24 contests.
St. Louis said Laine will play on the Canadiens’ first power-play unit, relegating Dach to the second formation in place of Joel Armia, who has two goals and 10 points this season. Armia has a nice shot but generally isn’t considered an offensive threat.
“I think he (Laine) is excited again tonight,” St. Louis said. “I think he had an opportunity to really see how we want to play. I’m sure when he’s watching games from the top he can see himself in our concept. It’s not because you’re watching that you’re not getting better. I think he’s more prepared now to attack, whatever he wants to attack, within our team concept because he has watched enough.
“They can help each other out,” he added about teaming Laine with two slumping players. “They’re all important to each other’s success. There’s not many players that are going to do it on their own. If they play to their identity consistently, there’s no doubt that line can be very good. They’re three different players, but I think they can help each other. I feel they’ll do that.”
Selected second overall by Winnipeg in 2016, Laine has experienced his share of highs and lows. He scored a career-high 44 goals as a sophomore in 2017-18 and twice produced 30 or more goals for the Jets. But he’s now on his third NHL team, has battled injuries and was limited to 18 games last season before breaking his clavicle and receiving care from the league’s player assistance program.
How a player who has dealt with off-ice issues will react to the fishbowl of playing in Montreal will ultimately determine Laine’s success level. He has been skating, either on his own or during full practices, for more than a week and could have already returned, but admitted wanting to make his debut on home ice. The Canadiens begin a five-game homestand — their longest this season — against the Islanders.
He hinted his return was imminent on Monday, publishing a photo on his Instagram account in front of Saint Joseph’s Oratory, writing: “A big week coming up. I hope Father André is a hockey fan.”
Laine scored six goals and three assists for the Blue Jackets last season. He requested a trade, saying he required a change of scenery, in late July, once cleared from the assistance program. In 480 career games, he has 204 goals and 388 points.
“Who knows how it’s going to go?” Laine said. “I’m just happy to put on a jersey again. It’s all positive today. It’s not just one guy who’s going to come in and change everything. It’s the whole team. We have to figure out how to win games and not lose control after a couple minutes in a period. I’ll try to bring my abilities and help the team with that. Hopefully, it’ll be like riding a bike.
“I’m super excited and thankful to be here. It has been a long road with a lot of ups and maybe more downs the last couple of years. If somebody plays here and doesn’t get fired up, I think there’s something wrong with them.”
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