Player Discussion Patrik Laine: Part 2 - Healthy Living Edition

[Tyson]

Yeah, it's just where he is in his return to the game after many injuries, mental health, missed games.. This isn't the best version of Laine, but this is what he is right now and it was the right decision to split them up.

I just see posters here and Marc Dumont on Twitter trying to say that it was the linemates holding him back as if Laine was doing all these productive things and they were failing him. It was the other way around.

Laine has hit a wall but his skating and defensive awareness are very concerning. We were all fired up when he was acquired but damn he hasn't been good enough.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Laine has hit a wall but his skating and defensive awareness are very concerning. We were all fired up when he was acquired but damn he hasn't been good enough.

That shot though...

 

[Tyson]

That shot though...

Pierre Dagenais had a similar shot. Laine needs to bring more.

 

[Guess]

I don't think Laine fits the kind of style of play the Habs want to do, he's not good enough of a two way player and his skating is not great. Hopefully we can retain on him next season to get a good long term piece.

 

[Marioesque]

as if Laine was doing all these productive things and they were failing him.

Nope, Laine wasn't helping the line a lot either. No chemistry

It was the other way around.

And here we go. Again. You acknowledge that none of the line worked, then you turn around and say it was just Laine.

I don't get how you don't see how weird that is. You identify issues outside of Laine, but your conclusion always remains he is to blame for it all.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Nope, Laine wasn't helping the line a lot either. No chemistry

And here we go. Again. You acknowledge that none of the line worked, then you turn around and say it was just Laine.

I don't get how you don't see how weird that is. You identify issues outside of Laine, but your conclusion always remains he is to blame for it all.

It's not coincidence that the 2nd line improved immediately after he was removed from it.

 

[Marioesque]

It's not coincidence that the 2nd line improved immediately after he was removed from it.

It's not a coincidence Laine improved to a net neutral on 5 on 5 either.

But I mean, we're talking about winning games right? Having individual points but being a net negative isn't something I'd consider a vast improvement for the 2nd line, they were doing that before too with just less goals for. I've really liked Newhook's new look on the road trip, looks like he has conquered his demons and can be an effective forward. In my opinion optimally 3rd line energy forward.

 

[26Mats]

Laine has hit a wall but his skating and defensive awareness are very concerning. We were all fired up when he was acquired but damn he hasn't been good enough.

I like a lot of the plays he makes with the puck to create space for his linemates.

For sure he needs to cut down on the turnovers and improve his positioning in the D zone. But I've seen him do much more than just shoot.

I'm looking forward to both, hopefully, him improving his own game with more reps, but also him getting to play with linemates of his own skill level (perhaps Demidov next season). Suzuki and Caufield certainly benefit from playing with each other. Laine would benefit from having a linemate at that skill level. Suzuki and Caufield also benefit from having the right 3rd wheel (not Anderson, Newhook, etc..., but Slaf or Dach in the past).

 

[Frankenheimer]

Let's recall that it takes months to recover from the injury he had. I would be surprised if this was the best version of Laine possible. Everything points to next year being our time to be playoff contenders, or even contenders, so we'll get a chance to see what a fully fit Laine can do then and then decide on a trade/resign strategy at that point. We see his shot and vision are next level. With improved conditioning and coaching, he may become the player we want.

 

[dcyhabs]

He's just back after a serious injury, the team has injuries they don't have the depth to cope with, and everybody is playing tired. Suzuki is in one of his stretches where he should probably sit a game or two but won't until the upcoming break.

Wait until the team actually has enough depth to put people in roles they can handle and move guys to places they fit. Laine, like many others, will look better when the team is filled out. Dumping him now would be terrible asset management.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

It's not a coincidence Laine improved to a net neutral on 5 on 5 either.

Net neutral? You mean +/-?

But I mean, we're talking about winning games right? Having individual points but being a net negative isn't something I'd consider a vast improvement for the 2nd line, they were doing that before too with just less goals for. I've really liked Newhook's new look on the road trip, looks like he has conquered his demons and can be an effective forward. In my opinion optimally 3rd line energy forward.

The 2nd line has been a mess for much of the year. Nobody disputes that. But Newhook and Dach have both improved a lot and it's not just the past few games. Laine has not looked good unfortunately. Again though, I think that can be at least partially attirbuted to his injury.

I expect the 2nd line will produce a lot better going forward - at least closer in line with expectations. We'll see.