Player Discussion Patrik Laine: ruining the tank

[Redux91]

I can't believe he's scoring all these goals in *our* jersey, it's still doesn't feel real sometimes honestly
This timeline can suck sometimes but I never expected Patrik Laine would be playing for the Habs in it lol

I don't want to get used to the feeling, everytime he scores its pure joy lol
It *looks* like he's having a blast and enjoying being a Hab we can only be hoping but it reeeeaaallly just feels like an insta great fit tho
Hope he's here a long time
I really think he absolutely loves it here

 

[SwiftyHab]

I can't believe he's scoring all these goals in *our* jersey, it's still doesn't feel real sometimes honestly
This timeline can suck sometimes but I never expected Patrik Laine would be playing for the Habs in it lol

I don't want to get used to the feeling, everytime he scores its pure joy lol

Hey Man, Kovalev didn’t leave because of you. I want you to know that.

 

[Marioesque]

Laine’s ceiling has never really been tested

And that's why I'm so god damn exited right now.

I have been waiting to find that out. He is now entering prime, if he can stay healthy what is his ceiling? As a recovering from injuries player, with 2nd or 3rd line talent, he is point per game.

What is a 1st line minutes and surrounding talent with #1 PP Laine really going to look like?

That's what I want to find out. I see, and have seen, a very special, once in a lifetime talent. I want to see what it looks like when you really lean on it.

I expect legendary.

 

[DAChampion]

Having two great goals scorers on the Habs at once doesn't feel natural.

When's the last time?

 

[VT]

The crazy thing is that not once has he really had a legit high end C to play with

At times he played with Scheifele but never consistently like other top players in the league

Little, Jenner, Roslovic, they really werent’t high end, now Dach

You could almost make the argument that no other ”superstar” player has played his career with worse C’s

But he had great chemistry with Jenner, they complemented each other very well, which is very important. Of course, he's no Scheifele, but don't underestimate Boone.
The problem was the defensemen more, as due to injuries to Werenski, Boqvist and Bean we mostly played with either defensive defensemen or more likely AHL players.

 

[Benstheman]

But he had great chemistry with Jenner, they complemented each other very well, which is very important. Of course, he's no Scheifele, but don't underestimate Boone.
The problem was the defensemen more, as due to injuries to Werenski, Boqvist and Bean we mostly played with either defensive defensemen or more likely AHL players.

I would love Boone playing 2nd line center for the Habs.

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

Habs are 10-7-1 since Nov 11 (improvement started pre-Laine)

9 of those 10 wins were against teams in the bottom 12 of the league. Except for the Oilers, every team we beat since nov 10th are under ,500. All the teams we've lossed to since nov 10th are ,500 or over.

14 of our next 18 games are against teams who are ,500 or better.

 

[Benstheman]

9 of those 10 wins were against teams in the bottom 12 of the league. Except for the Oilers, every team we beat since nov 10th are under ,500. All the teams we've lossed to since nov 10th are ,500 or over.

14 of our next 18 games are against teams who are ,500 or better.

Solid test ahead.

 

[BullLund]

But he had great chemistry with Jenner, they complemented each other very well, which is very important. Of course, he's no Scheifele, but don't underestimate Boone.
The problem was the defensemen more, as due to injuries to Werenski, Boqvist and Bean we mostly played with either defensive defensemen or more likely AHL players.

I felt like some of Laine's best work was done with Stastny as his center. Jenner and Laine worked surprisingly well also.

The problem that I think Scheifele saw in playing with Laine, is that he was a very offensively oriented player himself back then, and he didn't necessarily want to pick up the slack for the rookie on the defensive end.

I don't think it's a matter of needing to match Laine with a superstar caliber center, you just need a guy who can create a bit of space for him and also win board battles because, quite frankly, those aren't Laine's strong suit. He's also not necessarily the guy that you want carrying the puck into the zone too often. I dare say that his best chemistry is with players who are unselfish and not overly concerned with scoring goals.

 

[Runner77]

 

[BLONG7]

9 of those 10 wins were against teams in the bottom 12 of the league. Except for the Oilers, every team we beat since nov 10th are under ,500. All the teams we've lossed to since nov 10th are ,500 or over.

14 of our next 18 games are against teams who are ,500 or better.

$hit is about to get real......

 

[HabbyGuy]

I don't think it's too much of a surprise to see that all of Laine's goals have been on the PP. On the 5v5 he's playing with 2 duds. I would swap Heineman and Newhook and see how that goes.

It's not Like Laine has been any better 5v5 than the other two, he's struggling as well and he'll gladly admit it. Like Dach, it's going to take time to come back from his injuries and from not playing for so long.

I'm remiss to want to mess with any of the lines as the bottom 6 has been a strength of this team and their successes are correalated because of the adavantages those lines bring.

Evans in particular has been great both 5v5 and on the PK. We need him as fresh as possible for the PK, and to take advantage of the 4th line shifts that line creates. It's clearly working, why mess with it?

Laine is not there yet anyway.

 

[Zorro]

It's not Like Laine has been any better 5v5 than the other two, he's struggling as well and he'll gladly admit it. Like Dach, it's going to take time to come back from his injuries and from not playing for so long.

I'm remiss to want to mess with any of the lines as the bottom 6 has been a strength of this team and their successes are correalated because of the adavantages those lines bring.

Evans in particular has been great both 5v5 and on the PK. We need him as fresh as possible for the PK, and to take advantage of the 4th line shifts that line creates. It's clearly working, why mess with it?

Laine is not there yet anyway.

I agree that our bottom 6 has been great, but that 2nd line needs to get going sooner than later. We can't solely rely on the PP. If Laine is struggling on the 5v5, then Dach & Newhook are downright putrid. Laine doesn't "drive" the line, he needs, at the very least, a proper C , but i'm hesitant to touch either of our bottom 6 Cs given how well they are doing. That's why i'm suggesting to move Heineman who could inject some creativity on that line.

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

Respect to Moritz Seider who was blocking bombs all weekend

 

[Habricot]

I certainly hope they try it

Slafkovsky - Suzuki - Caufield
Heineman - Demidov - Laine

I think people are ditching Dach too quickly.

Laine - Demidov - Dach migth be a better fit if Dach finds his form by the end of the year!

 

[Jurivan Demidovsky]

Congrats to Laine for being the NHL's 3rd Star of the week!

 

[BehindTheTimes]

We drafted Hage.

Honestly, my hope is that Demidov can be the center we're looking for. If that were to happen... we'd be in really good shape going forward.

Demidov is not a center. You would think we’d learn from past experiences. I hope to god this isn’t what management is hoping for.

 

[Jurivan Demidovsky]

Demidov is not a center. You would think we’d learn from past experiences. I hope to god this isn’t what management is hoping for.

What are you so worried about? This isn't Drouin we're talking about here, this is a Super-Star

Based on the search results, here’s a summary of Ivan Demidov’s preferences and abilities at the center position:

Comfortable playing center: Demidov has mentioned that he prefers playing center over wing, citing that it allows him to be more creative and have a better vision of the game. (Source: “Ivan Demidov prefers center to wing - Dose.ca”)

Played center in pre-season tournament: During the Puchkov pre-season tournament, Demidov played center and made highlight-reel plays, showcasing his ability to create scoring chances and dominate games from the middle of the ice. (Source: “September 2024 – After captaining the Russian U23 team, and scoring five points in the Puchkov pre-season tournament, Ivan Demidov officially earned a spot on Roman Rotenberg’s SKA roster in the KHL.”)

Elite creativity and puck skills: Demidov’s scouting reports highlight his exceptional handling, passing, and shooting abilities, which would be valuable assets at the center position. (Source: “2024 Draft Prospect Profile: Ivan Demidov is another top Russian winger - The Cannon”)

Potential to develop into a two-way center: While Demidov’s defensive play could use improvement, his intelligence, passing ability, and engagement off-puck suggest he has the potential to develop into a well-rounded, two-way center. (Source: “2024 Draft Prospect Profile: Ivan Demidov is another top Russian winger - The Cannon”)

In summary, Ivan Demidov has expressed a preference for playing center, has experience playing the position in pre-season tournaments, and possesses elite creativity and puck skills that would be valuable at the center position. With further development, he may become a well-rounded, two-way center.

 

[HomaridII]

What a bunch of quotes by laine wow.

I was tired of losing and just giving up when it’s December to start focusing on next year. I’m not going to do that. That’s frustrating as a player when you’re trying to win and some people are, you know, not like that.

“They’re a little too satisfied and too comfortable where they’re at. It wasn’t really a fit for me anymore. But here (in Montreal), it doesn’t matter if we’re winning or losing, we’re always trying our best“

“I’ll leave that for everybody’s imagination,” Laine said. “But there were certainly, certainly people like that who were a little too comfortable and fine with losing and just doing the same thing year after year”

“If we win, we’re going to jump them,” Laine said. “That’d be awesome to leave them behind.”

 

[HomaridII]

He also said he is having the time of his life in Montreal and really doesn’t care what anybody thinks outside Montreal.

 

[Habssince89]

Fantastic quotes. Bodes well for the potential re-signing

 

[morhilane]

Laine 100% put a lots of money on the board for tonight.

 

[Bruce Granville]

The crazy thing is that not once has he really had a legit high end C to play with

At times he played with Scheifele but never consistently like other top players in the league

Little, Jenner, Roslovic, they really werent’t high end, now Dach

You could almost make the argument that no other ”superstar” player has played his career with worse C’s

A C like Stastny would be good enough. Maybe Granlund could dish him a few pucks in February…although he was best as a winger.

 

[Marioesque]

It's not Like Laine has been any better 5v5 than the other two

Well yeah he has. He has created a lot of good looks for Newhook but the guy can't score. And he hasn't created the turnovers that have lead to goals against.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Demidov is not a center. You would think we’d learn from past experiences. I hope to god this isn’t what management is hoping for.

I don’t know if he’s a center or not. Neither do you. I’ll leave it up to him and mgmt to figure it out. He’s said he likes playing center better than wing so who knows?

If he can play there, the. I’m all for it. If Markov can move from forward to D….