Player Discussion Patrik Laine: wearing a regular practice jersey

[Sorinth]

Lot of hype in remembering what Laine was ... but not what he is. Right now he is not what he was. He only played 18 games for Columbus last year and had poor +- results in the last four years. Basically he is an expensive reclamation project with attitude that may or may not turn out. Having him for $8.7M for two years is a big gamble.

Now we sit and watch. Will he return to his former glory, or will he just get back to being a middle level player, or will he be another PLD. No way to know at this point. Of course he'll start strong, all players do on a new team, but what will be the final result of this "experiment". It will be interesting to watch.

Lot of assumptions being made about the guy because he went into the player assistance program.

In 3 of the past 5 seasons and 2 of the past 3 seasons he's paced for 70+ points. What he is right now is still a very productive player so long as he's healthy-ish.

 

[OneSharpMarble]

Lot of hype in remembering what Laine was ... but not what he is. Right now he is not what he was. He only played 18 games for Columbus last year and had poor +- results in the last four years. Basically he is an expensive reclamation project with attitude that may or may not turn out. Having him for $8.7M for two years is a big gamble.

Now we sit and watch. Will he return to his former glory, or will he just get back to being a middle level player, or will he be another PLD. No way to know at this point. Of course he'll start strong, all players do on a new team, but what will be the final result of this "experiment". It will be interesting to watch.

There is no risk here, he can be gone in 2 years, hell we could flip him at the dead line for a prospect. No one expects Montreal to even be outside of the bottom 10 this coming season. What's the risk? We lost Harris? Big whoop.

 

[dackelljuneaubulis02]

For who?

Patrick Laine could not take a single stride for the Montreal Canadiens, and it would be difficult for anyone to twist themselves into a pretzel to explain how trading for him was a mistake.

But no doubt people will try

It’s insane to get a Laine level talent with zero significant risk. Getting a 2nd is more than we gave up to get Harris.

Even if Harris surprises and turns into a top pairing guy and Laine’s an absolute dud, Harris was exactly the D that you’d want to trade that has any kind of value. I could’ve lived with Struble or Barron going but they have enough upside that you’d rather want to keep them. Similar to Collberg for Vanek but with way more potential upside

 

[Naslundforever]

Armia had similar comments he would get really down on himself when not contributing and then became quite the player last year.

Confidence is a huge component of engagement, and engagement+skill is the simplest, most useful way to evaluate and manage staff output at work on the daily/weekly. Even the most skilled often get stifled when they start doubting, and management that does not know how to maximize employee motivation is going to lose out on a lot of output.

The employee has to buy in, and ultimately their fate is in their own hands, but feeling supported and not shamed or blamed can be make/break. I believe in hab management and locker room.

 

[sampollock]

He will score 30

 

[Captain Mountain]

There is no risk here, he can be gone in 2 years, hell we could flip him at the dead line for a prospect. No one expects Montreal to even be outside of the bottom 10 this coming season. What's the risk? We lost Harris? Big whoop.

Lets be clear. There is risk, quite a lot of it. Montreal wouldn't have gotten a pick as well in the trade if there wasn't. Its just that the risk is less to Montreal (a team that had salary flexibility, revenues to support high salary costs and, despite fan complaints to the contrary, ownership who has been willing to spend on risks consistently) than basically any other team in the NHL.

We'll see how Montreal's rebuild turns out, but its clear HuGo will consistently take risks in this rebuild so long as they're managed.

There is a risk to Laine, but Montreal was in a position where, worst case scenario, they lost the use of cap space they were unlikely to be able to use anyways. To other teams it may have meant moving other players or operating in the red.

 

[Milhouse40]

Lot of hype in remembering what Laine was ... but not what he is. Right now he is not what he was. He only played 18 games for Columbus last year and had poor +- results in the last four years. Basically he is an expensive reclamation project with attitude that may or may not turn out. Having him for $8.7M for two years is a big gamble.

Now we sit and watch. Will he return to his former glory, or will he just get back to being a middle level player, or will he be another PLD. No way to know at this point. Of course he'll start strong, all players do on a new team, but what will be the final result of this "experiment". It will be interesting to watch.

Kind of unfair, have to take the environment he was playing in.
In 21-22 he was -7 in 56 games while there was Bjorkstrand at -33 and Sillinger at -27
In 22-23 he was -12 in 55 games, while the majority where in the -20 or worst.
He wasn't even close of being the worst on his team.

I think the biggest gamble and risk is about his health.
Cause when he's healthy, he was the one prodducing the most on that Columbus team and I think he'll have much better linesmates here in the MTL than he did in Columbus.

For who?

Patrick Laine could not take a single stride for the Montreal Canadiens, and it would be difficult for anyone to twist themselves into a pretzel to explain how trading for him was a mistake.

But no doubt people will try

Well...It's true until it's not.

I said it before the trade and won't change ,my first thought about it:
Laine will be the way of getting the next Laine available on the market.....

If the experience don't work, might become a problem next summer if opportunities prensets themselves.

 

[GrandBison]

All we ask Laine for is to be a competent 2nd line and PP winger who can take 1st line duties in case of injuries. Now, let's hope he and Dach will stay healthy enough.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

It’s insane to get a Laine level talent with zero significant risk. Getting a 2nd is more than we gave up to get Harris.

Even if Harris surprises and turns into a top pairing guy and Laine’s an absolute dud, Harris was exactly the D that you’d want to trade that has any kind of value. I could’ve lived with Struble or Barron going but they have enough upside that you’d rather want to keep them. Similar to Collberg for Vanek but with way more potential upside

Harris was going to be moved no matter what. We have a logjam and he wasn't going to crack the lineup here. He may very well turn into a good hockey player (I hope he does) but he wasn't going to do it here.

What you're seeing is the power of planning. This is what happens when you have a GM who commits to a rebuild and leverages the power of cap space. Getting Laine for essentially nothing (actually getting paid to take him) is only possible if you've got the cap space. Not many other clubs could've taken this risk and for us, the risk is negligible because we've got so much cap to play with.

MB talked about 'building through the draft' but never did. There was never a plan one way or the other and we drifted along with open cap space that we never weaponized. It was atrocious to watch. I remember sitting here arguing with people that we should be adding players and it was always 'they're not available" something MB himself echoed. As HUGO has shown, talent is ALWAYS available. You just have to be willing to pay for it.

I hope we're successful. HUGO has done everything I wanted our GM to do. Followed the plan almost to a tee. If it doesn't work out, I won't have any complaints. He's done everything he's supposed to. Now we need some luck, health and God willing Forum ghosts to help us get there. The making for a championship team is there. Not saying it's a sure thing but it's a possiblity. We've got guys who aren't even in the lineup yet who could be stars of tomorrow. I'm really excited about what we're doing here.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

He will score 30

He might.

I'd feel better with that prediction for the following year though. We just don't know what the impact of his injuries will be this season. Best case scenario, it's not a factor and then this is one of the best moves ever. Or maybe it's a rough year followed by a good one.

I'd rather lower expectations than go in with bigger targets. I think he's good for 20 goals but you may be right.

 

[Captain Mountain]

Kind of unfair, have to take the environment he was playing in.
In 21-22 he was -7 in 56 games while there was Bjorkstrand at -33 and Sillinger at -27
In 22-23 he was -12 in 55 games, while the majority where in the -20 or worst.
He wasn't even close of being the worst on his team.

I think the biggest gamble and risk is about his health.
Cause when he's healthy, he was the one prodducing the most on that Columbus team and I think he'll have much better linesmates here in the MTL than he did in Columbus.



Well...It's true until it's not.

I said it before the trade and won't change ,my first thought about it:
Laine will be the way of getting the next Laine available on the market.....

If the experience don't work, might become a problem next summer if opportunities prensets themselves.

I feel like you're not acknowledging how many times this management group has actually made a move like this. Because its not just Monahan, its also Dadonov and Pearson. Its hard to imagine that if Laine doesn't work out, management wont continue to take gambles where they've mitigated the risk for the organization outside of real money.

Cap-wise, Montreal is likely to have anywhere of 8-14 mil in cap space (plus another 10 mil in LTIR room) next offseason. With Primeau as the only RFA of note. Acquiring Laine doesn't prevent them from taking advantage of future opportunities.

 

[Marioesque]

Lot of hype in remembering what Laine was ... but not what he is. Right now he is not what he was.

Now we sit and watch. Will he return to his former glory, or will he just get back to being a middle level player

I've watched his whole career. He's better now than he was at the time where people remember him from, it just has not been able to come out in long enough stretches for anyone outside looking in to notice. Stat watching will not give a good picture.

When he is straight back from injury he has been a mid level player for some games. But he's hopefully starting healthy and staying healthy. He's elite when he's healthy.

 

[tnq]

I would try
Laine Suzuki Slaf
Caufield Dach Roy
Armia Evans Newhook
Gally ( Anderson) Dvorak Pezzetta

 

[Marioesque]

Also listened to Matt Perreault interview at la poche bleue. He played with him in WPG. Said he was loved in the room but was fragile mentally when things werent going his way. Laine touched on that during his presser, saying he was young and has learned how to handle thoise situations.

The best line Laine has played in the NHL so far was Laine-Scheifele-Perreault. Perreault was a perfect fit with Laine because he was a puck hound with good hockey sense, he knocked the pucks loose in the corners and fed Laine or Scheifele to great success of their line. Unfortunately it didn't last for that long but they were pretty untouchable for any opponent lines the brief time they were together.

 

[WeThreeKings]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1821621011328201174

 

[BLONG7]

He will score 30

If this guy, gets motivated, he will easily score 30 goals.........................watch some hilights, he is a big dude with a heavy accurate shot.

 

[26Mats]

I would try
Laine Suzuki Slaf
Caufield Dach Roy
Armia Evans Newhook
Gally ( Anderson) Dvorak Pezzetta

I can't wait for September 23rd, when preseason starts, to see Laine as 92 in a Habs jersey, and nd what line combos MSL tries out.

 

[Andy]

Not many other clubs could've taken this risk and for us, the risk is negligible because we've got so much cap to play with..

Something to mention is that we have so much cap to play with only because HuGo have been spending the last three years strategically shedding bad salaries while consciously refusing to commit themselves to any other anchors (see Marchessault)

 

[SlafySZN]

 

[Hansman]

I can’t overstate enough the benefits of having Laine in the lineup does.

It spreads the pressure and expectations out over several players, and not just one “messiahs” player. This will
Do wonders for players like Caufield, Slaf, Dach and Demidov, when he arrives.

Adds much needed scoring and depth. Helping to spread out the scoring and allowing for easier matchups down the roster.

Power play that may actually score and roll TWO PP units. I know, crazy!! This is a far greater deterrent to opposing teams then adding an enforcer because it means real game consequences for taking penalties.

Winning close games. Habs were among the league leaders in one goal games. Having Laine in the dying minutes of a game, OT, or PS, gives you a better chance to steal more points in the standings to creep into a spot.

Transferable skills. Hughes mentioned this in his press conference but having Laine in practise can only help younger players. Caufield, Slaf, etc. can work on their shots even more by watching and practicing with a top 3 NHL level sniper.

Confidence and swagger knowing you have a legit 40-50 goal scorer and go into games expecting to win. Look at any team you played on and the mental difference it made when you had one of the best scorers in the league on your team, versus not having one. There’s a complete mental shift there in how you prepare and attack games.

Size isn’t an issue anymore with so much beef up front and in the back end. Not going to have teams push you around when you’re bigger then they are and can push back harder.

Montreal fans LOVE their star players. Imagine the atmosphere when Laine first gets introduced and lights up the lamp. It’s going to be electric and the players feed off that energy. Games will mean more and the atmosphere will help propel the team further.

I’m sure there are more but the top line and trickle down effect on this club will be material and I can’t wait to watch!

Good post.

 

[WeThreeKings]

Something to mention is that we have so much cap to play with only because HuGo have been spending the last three years strategically shedding bad salaries.

We should have a shit ton of flexibility next summer, too.

 

[Andy]

We should have a shit ton of flexibility next summer, too.

Along with a boatload of picks, and possibly even more picks after this year's trade deadline.

Getting talent like Laine may even make some offensive prospects like Roy, and even nhl ready ones like Newhook, expendable for further upgrading.

Basically, the habs are loaded in assets now, from cap space, to picks, to nhl ready young talent at both forward and D.

HuGo also basically built an entire second line that was not here in Laine, Dach, Newhook.

 

[WeThreeKings]

Along with a boatload of picks, and possibly even more picks.

Getting talent like Laine may even make some offensive prospects like Roy, and even Newhook expendable for further upgrading.

Basically, the habs are loaded in assets in now, from cap space, to picks, to nhl ready young talent at both forward and D.

HuGo also basically built an entire second line that was not here in Laine, Dach, Newhook.

The Gauthier to Bergevin regimes were such pain.

It's so cool to listen to unbiased media members start to take notice that the Habs are coming.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Something to mention is that we have so much cap to play with only because HuGo have been spending the last three years strategically shedding bad salaries while consciously refusing to commit themselves to any other anchors (see Marchessault)

The power of planning.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

The Gauthier to Bergevin regimes were such pain.

It's so cool to listen to unbiased media members start to take notice that the Habs are coming.

Yeah. You can definitely see where we're going. Laine to me is a lotto ticket. With or without him I think we're headed towards contender status down the road. If he works out... awesome.

But there are three or four guys with star potential in the lineup or coming soon. The D looks good, the forwards look good and goaltending looks good. We've got cap space, a ton of picks, deep prospect pool and cap flexibility. Ideal situation going forward. We've had some bad luck with injuries - countebalanced by high picks. If we can finally get healthy, we're going to be a scary team down the road. If Caufield comes back that'd be huge. Dach.'s another. Slaf looks like he could be huge. And that doesn't even get into the guys coming in. I think Hutson's going to be a stud for example.

So excited to see what's happening. Next few years are going to be fun to watch them develop.