Player Discussion Patrik Laine: wearing a regular practice jersey

[sampollock]

So he just came off an injury and was in the player’s assistance program. Anyone know if he is in game shape?

Have not read that.
But I am sure when KH was given permission to talk to PL , that was sorted out

 

[Lshap]

Well,

Laine certainly had its deep low. Lower than the other 3, indeed.

But the high is also extremely high and higher than the other 3.

But yes, it is futile to predict anything because the possible outcome goes from an extreme to another with the possibility too of the in-between.

Yeah, there's a crazy range of outcomes for Laine. Until the season starts, every prediction is possible, no matter how optimistic or pessimistic.

Every Habs fan I've spoken to is psyched. I have no idea how many games the Habs will win, but this season is already looking like a major spike for viewership.

 

[sampollock]

Yeah, there's a crazy range of outcomes for Laine. Until the season starts, every prediction is possible, no matter how optimistic or pessimistic.

Every Habs fan I've spoken to is psyched. I have no idea how many games the Habs will win, but this season is already looking like a major spike for viewership.

Why the not
1 year older then Suzuki
Great shot
Good size
30 plus goal man

Makes sense why I lobbied for him

 

[Marioesque]

Have not read that.
But I am sure when KH was given permission to talk to PL , that was sorted out

Alkeme performance in Florida has been posting some instagram clips of Laine training there for months now with some NFL players etc. That's about all I have seen about it.

Nobody is in game shape right now as the players are on summer vacation, but from what I have seen Laine has been working on strengthening his body to avoid injuries, that's what I believe the specialized training at Alkeme is for.

He'll likely train for the camp with Barkov again as he is known to do.

 

[Mrb1p]

But it has everything to do with the fact that he's already fallen off a cliff with two teams.

Not denying the talent.
Not denying that the past doesn't dictate the future here.

But pretending he will have a better career than Zegras is another ball game.

Funny because Zegras has also fallen off.

 

[Junohockeyfan]

Yeah, there's a crazy range of outcomes for Laine. Until the season starts, every prediction is possible, no matter how optimistic or pessimistic.

Every Habs fan I've spoken to is psyched. I have no idea how many games the Habs will win, but this season is already looking like a major spike for viewership.

For me, i am excited to see Dach, Hutson (potentially) and Laine - in that order. And excited to see Slaf's continued development. It was a total gut punch last season when Dach went down in game 2. Watching a one-line team play hockey is painful. Now with the depth at forward and two (on paper) bonafide top lines it will be much more enjoyable to watch. The D will still be a circus but they will be better than last season.

Also excited to see Xhekaj mature as a player.

 

[Marioesque]

Yeah, there's a crazy range of outcomes for Laine. Until the season starts, every prediction is possible, no matter how optimistic or pessimistic.

Every Habs fan I've spoken to is psyched. I have no idea how many games the Habs will win, but this season is already looking like a major spike for viewership.

I see two outcomes really. If his freaky injuries continue then more of the same. He'll be out, come back in, look lost for some games and then start performing on PPG+ level only to get injured again. Will have 50 game seasons and be UFA in 2 years.

Or he avoids injuries, plays full seasons and puts up monster numbers.

People talk about players toolboxes or kits, Laine has a garage for his tools. If he gets to use them healthy for long periods of time the results are inevitable.

 

[Lshap]

Why the not
1 year older then Suzuki
Great shot
Good size
30 plus goal man

Makes sense why I lobbied for him

30 goals is probably the consensus 'optimistic' guess, which is what I'm expecting.

For me, i am excited to see Dach, Hutson (potentially) and Laine - in that order. And excited to see Slaf's continued development. It was a total gut punch last season when Dach went down in game 2. Watching a one-line team play hockey is painful. Now with the depth at forward and two (on paper) bonafide top lines it will be much more enjoyable to watch. The D will still be a circus but they will be better than last season.

Also excited to see Xhekaj mature as a player.

Yup, not just new players, but high-potential guys who could make a substantial difference. Dach may as well be new, plus there's Mailloux and possibly Reinbacher.

It'll take awhile to remember all the new jersey numbers, although I doubt we'll have trouble recognizing Laine or Hutson.

I see two outcomes really. If his freaky injuries continue then more of the same. He'll be out, come back in, look lost for some games and then start performing on PPG+ level only to get injured again. Will have 50 game seasons and be UFA in 2 years.

Or he avoids injuries, plays full seasons and puts up monster numbers.

People talk about players toolboxes or kits, Laine has a garage for his tools. If he gets to use them healthy for long periods of time the results are inevitable.

I'm thinking of Monahan from a year ago. He needed the better part of a season to recover, but when he returned he was finally completely healthy. Let's hope Dach and Laine are finally 100% after a similar extended break.

 

[Boss Man Hughes]

Funny because Zegras has also fallen off.

No he hasn't. He hardly played last year due to injuries. That doesn't mean anything unless he continues to get injuries.

 

[SOLR]

Funny because Zegras has also fallen off.

Hurt more than fallen off. Laine was playing for long periods of time without producing or being hurt; it was a mental thing.

 

[morhilane]

So he just came off an injury and was in the player’s assistance program. Anyone know if he is in game shape?

He's been training (off-ice) in Florida all summer, he shared a few vids/pics of it online. Started on ice training a few weeks ago after getting the OK. He's going to be ready for camp.

 

[OneSharpMarble]

That lineup was one of the best in the league at the time, hardly awful.

Not 1 person in the top 50 goal scorers in the league and very mid for total goals scored. Not even 1 30 goal scorer. Maybe if you only watch Montreal.

 

[Rapala]

Yeah, there's a crazy range of outcomes for Laine. Until the season starts, every prediction is possible, no matter how optimistic or pessimistic.

Every Habs fan I've spoken to is psyched. I have no idea how many games the Habs will win, but this season is already looking like a major spike for viewership.

The stories coming out of Columbus are very revealing and encouraging at the same time.

The symptoms Laine is dealing with are far easier to get a handle on than many I can think of though nothing is guaranteed.
Patrik himself probably had no clue what was even bringing the bad stuff to the surface.

Given the length of time he spent in the assistance program it's obvious to me he did a lot of work on himself.
The pitfalls are known and easy to monitor and we can only hope the internal therapy went well.
One thing is certain a healthy mind will definitely help in maintaining a healthy body.

 

[Lshap]

The stories coming out of Columbus are very revealing and encouraging at the same time.

The symptoms Laine is dealing with are far easier to get a handle on than many I can think of though nothing is guaranteed.
Patrik himself probably had no clue what was even bringing the bad stuff to the surface.

Given the length of time he spent in the assistance program it's obvious to me he did a lot of work on himself.
The pitfalls are known and easy to monitor and we can only hope the internal therapy went well.
One thing is certain a healthy mind will definitely help in maintaining a healthy body.

He's also engaged to his longtime girlfriend, which may help anchor him.

 

[Shred]

There’s a lot of what will Laine do this year talk. Will he score 30-40 more?

I tell you that if all things go right, and he works closely with MSL and Adam Nicklaus, you’ll see a much different version of him. One that:

• checks well down low.
• Uses that big body of his to cut off lanes.
• Cuts off opponents passes.
• Backchecks .
• Uses more deception in his offence.
• And most importantly, doesn’t get too hard on himself when he’s not scoring because he’s doing all these little things with and without the puck.

Look for these things first before we start tallying all the goals to see how he’s really adapting and fitting into the team

Also he has a pretty similar frame and skill level to Dach (plus the insane shot of course) so I am sure they can learn a lot from each other.

 

[CHfan1]

Hurt more than fallen off. Laine was playing for long periods of time without producing or being hurt; it was a mental thing.

If we take away last season, which was a down year for both Zegras and Laine, they both produced fairly well in the 2021-22 & 2022-23 seasons.

Zegras: 156 gp, 46 goals, 126 points (.81 ppg)
Laine: 111 gp, 48 goals, 108 points (.97 ppg)

If Laine is able to produce at that rate for Montreal and stay healthy most of the year I think most fans would be happy.

 

[LOFIN]

He's also engaged to his longtime girlfriend, which may help anchor him.

Well not really. He was dating a Finnish girl until last spring, they had been together since he was 18 years old (so 7 years). The girl he got engaged with recently, they made their relationship public like a year ago.

 

[That Habs Fan]

If you'd told me 3 years ago Laine-Dach-Newhook would be our 2nd line for 24-25 I would not believe you and think you'd come up with that in EA Sports.

 

[Saundies]

If you'd told me 3 years ago Laine-Dach-Newhook would be our 2nd line for 24-25 I would not believe you and think you'd come up with that in EA Sports.

It is kind of crazy to think about.

And as @Lshap is saying up above, it's not even about the wins that is making me excited to watch this team. It just looks like we have offensive talent up front for the first time in a while.

If our guys can stay relatively healthy and on the ice, it's possible this year will be an exciting one. There's a lot of storylines to follow all over the globe in regards to the team, whether it's Demidov in Russia or just down the road in Laval where we'll surely have 4-5 guys to keep close eyes on as well.

Playoffs or not, if healthy, I think we'll be playing meaningful games at some point.

 

[cphabs]

Why the not
1 year older then Suzuki
Great shot
Good size
30 plus goal man

Makes sense why I lobbied for him

Correct me if I’m wrong, but from what I’ve seen? This guy is an explosive and fast skater. Especially for his size! Even with the puck! I’m excited as hell my friends!

 

[Tyson]

I want him to extend long term and keep Caufield. Gives us 35 minutes a game of elite sniper on the ice. A top 6 of

Laine - Suzuki - Slaf
Caufield - Dach - Demidov

Is elite if Laine can get back to anything close to his old ways. Even if he just ends up a 35 - 35 kind of guy we'd essentially have 2 1st lines.

Firewagon hockey is back

 

[Habssince89]

Correct me if I’m wrong, but from what I’ve seen? This guy is an explosive and fast skater. Especially for his size! Even with the puck! I’m excited as hell my friends!

From the highlights I've seen, not really. He's just able to walk people and protect the puck to gain the zone at a steady pace because he's so dangerous if he has any room to shoot in the zone. I think part of his training with NFL players might be for explosiveness. He's not slow, but I wouldn't call him a fast player.

 

[PavelBrendl]

Hurt more than fallen off. Laine was playing for long periods of time without producing or being hurt; it was a mental thing.

Zegras is excused for being injured but Laine is not? Ok.

Laine didn’t produce a ton in 45 games after being traded and then the season got shut down, and then he played 18 games last season scoring at a 0.5 ppg pace.

We can call those long periods if you want, and then conveniently ignore the 100+ games in the two season in between during which he was scoring at a point per game pace on a team that couldn’t score.

The last time Zegras scored a point per game was in the AHL.

 

[Marioesque]

Zegras is excused for being injured but Laine is not? Ok.

Laine didn’t produce a ton in 45 games after being traded and then the season got shut down, and then he played 18 games last season scoring at a 0.5 ppg pace.

We can call those long periods if you want, and then conveniently ignore the 100+ games in the two season in between during which he was scoring at a point per game pace on a team that couldn’t score.

The last time Zegras scored a point per game was in the AHL.

One needs to have followed Laine to know that all of these "cold streaks" were basically after injury recovery. He was running away with Calder until concussion, and the last 10 games or so he was able to play after recovery, he was not 100% and production and playtime was low.

He was also traded hurt (injured in practice, was off for weeks), and that showed at the start in CBJ.

 

[PavelBrendl]

One needs to have followed Laine to know that all of these "cold streaks" were basically after injury recovery. He was running away with Calder until concussion, and the last 10 games or so he was able to play after recovery, he was not 100% and production and playtime was low.

He was also traded hurt (injured in practice, was off for weeks), and that showed at the start in CBJ.

He was also buried in the bottom 6 by Torts.