Player Discussion Patrik Laine: Part 2 - Healthy Living Edition

[Marioesque]

I watched the last game, none of 2nd line did much but they didn't cause many issues either. And now I read Laine was a failure again or something?

Guy just played 3 games against the best teams in the world and belonged in there, more than some of his team mates did. And now some here are pretending he's not good enough for MTL roster?

 

[VT]

I watched the last game, none of 2nd line did much but they didn't cause many issues either. And now I read Laine was a failure again or something?

Guy just played 3 games against the best teams in the world and belonged in there, more than some of his team mates did. And now some here are pretending he's not good enough for MTL roster?

That's a description of the game at the time. Besides, Dach needs someone like Anderson or Slafkovský, not Laine. Someone who will go in front of the net instead, who will regularly win battles near the boards, in the corners. He can't. And Laine is a different type of player.

And you know yourself how important chemistry is.

 

[Pompeius Magnus]

I do wish we had a better fit for him linemate wise, but it would suck to have to break lines that already work well. It weird though, you've got a speedy guy, a pass first guy and a sniper, on paper this should have worked.

 

[Marioesque]

I do wish we had a better fit for him linemate wise, but it would suck to have to break lines that already work well. It weird though, you've got a speedy guy, a pass first guy and a sniper, on paper this should have worked.

At least inside games where things are not going their way, could give a try by switching him and Slaf and seeing how that works for the lines. Test things and give them a chance to work, if it doesn't then try something else.

 

[26Mats]

I do wish we had a better fit for him linemate wise, but it would suck to have to break lines that already work well. It weird though, you've got a speedy guy, a pass first guy and a sniper, on paper this should have worked.

Laine likes to make passing plays with his linemates. When he makes a play to Newhook, it immediately gets turned over to the other team.

 

[VT]

Kirby is also coming off an injury. Even though he played more games and didn't get hurt in preseason, so many injuries have affected his play. I think it would be a good idea to leave him with Anderson.

 

[ReHabs]

Kirby is also coming off an injury. Even though he played more games and didn't get hurt in preseason, so many injuries have affected his play. I think it would be a good idea to leave him with Anderson.

Dach’s injury happened a year and a half ago. His surgery was completed on October 31st, 2023.

Everything since then has been recovery and rehabilitation. He had the whole of the 23-24 season to recover and the whole of the offseason to rehab and get into shape. Of course it is easier said than done but he’s paid millions to be a professional athlete. He entered pre-season with a clean bill of health and a contact jersey. We know how bad his season has gone and it looks like he’s getting cold again from the lukewarm peak he had when the team was red hot.

He’s a notoriously slow rehabber, which is why CHI got fed up with him and sold him to the next sucker. Now the pattern is repeating itself in Montreal: underwhelming but promising year1, total crash out with injury year2, awful bounce-back year3.

Laine’s pattern is a lot more miserable and complicated. It is hard to disentangle what we know about his mental health issues with his physical condition and brazen lack of fitness today. How much of it is his current knee? Is it his fitness in general? Did he rehab properly? Etc.

Both their contracts expire in 2026. It could be neither are Habs afterwards and at this rate probably for the best… which is why I really hope Laine’s problems stem from his fitness and recent injury and don’t represent his baseline athleticism and hustle. It would be a shame for such a rocket talent to be extinguished like this.

 

[Kimota]

I watched the last game, none of 2nd line did much but they didn't cause many issues either. And now I read Laine was a failure again or something?

Guy just played 3 games against the best teams in the world and belonged in there, more than some of his team mates did. And now some here are pretending he's not good enough for MTL roster?

I mean it's not our fault that he has sucked. It did happen. Nobody has imagined that he played badly.

 

[26Mats]

I mean it's not our fault that he has sucked. It did happen. Nobody has imagined that he played badly.

Looking forward to him being all the way back, and playing with linemates that match his skill level. Really hope he plays with Demidov next year.