In a best-case scenario, Montreal Canadiens forward Patrik Laine isn’t seriously injured (obviously). The Habs (hypothetically) simply exercised caution keeping him out of Periods 2 and 3 of Monday’s disappointing 5-4 road loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets, his former team.
Could Laine have helped the Canadiens win a fourth straight, had he been able to play the balance of the game instead of staying out with the ever-mysterious “upper-body injury?” Probably, based on his success scoring since having returned from his knee injury suffered during training camp, albeit only on the power play, with eight goals, all on the man advantage, in now 10 games this season.
However, the Canadiens and their fans must come to terms with two objectively true facts: a win wasn’t worth the risk to the long-term health of a player who has re-emerged as a star. More importantly, if a win wasn’t worth the risk under these specific circumstances, with the Habs supposedly battling to re-enter the playoff picture, against a team they could have passed in the standings with a win, it’s probably best to call the playoffs what they are: not going to happen.
Play Laine Only when He’s 100%
Sure, head coach Martin St. Louis wants to try to win every game. That’s his job. He shouldn’t give up, but, the way the team started the season off without Laine, they dug themselves too big of a hole, and it’s time for the 14-17-3 Canadiens, who are now seven points out of a wild-card spot, to make decisions with 2025-26 in mind. That means only playing Laine when he’s ready.
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It also means playing struggling backup Cayden Primeau more so as not to bleed starter Sam Montembeault dry. The Blue Jackets game was a prime example of a) Montembeault not looking his sharpest, after having started the last 10 games, including a home-and-home series against the Detroit Red Wings on back-to-back nights and b) an opportunity against a lower-echelon opponent Primeau could theoretically have beaten, seeing as he’s already beaten them earlier this season.
Obviously, with the Canadiens now having a few days off to celebrate the holidays, Montembeault can recharge his batteries. It’s just that, if they had been intent on taking the extra night off anyway, why not just make it official in his specific case?
Sorry. That was too easy, and not necessarily a completely accurate reflection of reality. The Canadiens did make a game of it against the Blue Jackets despite falling down 2-0, even taking a 4-3 lead early in the third period. Mistakes on their part eventually enabled the Jackets to tie and win what was one game the Habs could have won themselves… but ultimately deserved to lose.
Laine Throws Blue Jackets and Canadiens Under the Bus
Laine himself didn’t do them any favours, providing the Blue Jackets with bulletin-board material, having been a bit too candid to reporters earlier in the day about why he had wanted out of Columbus, prompting his trade request and the deal with the Canadiens. In his mind “[the Jackets are] a little too satisfied and too comfortable where they’re at. It wasn’t really a fit for me anymore.”
Before Canadiens fans cause an uproar similar to the general reaction towards Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Cedric Pare’s knee-on-knee hit that prompted Laine to miss a few months of action, amid suggestions the Blue Jackets targeted the Finnish forward in response, consider the following objective assessment of the situation: The fact no one can precisely pinpoint when Laine got hurt makes this a completely different set of circumstances. If all the Jackets did was finish their checks on him cleanly, it’s all kosher. More to the point, if an ex-Canadiens player had said the same regarding his time in a Habs jersey, it’s safe to assume fans in general would expect, nay hope that ex-Canadiens player get hit even just a little harder the next time he faces the team.
As an illustration of how unacceptable comments like Laine’s can be considered, Mike Cammalleri even got traded mid-game once for comparing the Canadiens to losers, just while still with the Habs. And, while then-general manager Pierre Gauthier was a bit too trigger-happy to deal a player who was simply venting his frustration and expressing a desire for the team to improve, in Laine’s case he had no right to say what he did about another team, at least not without expecting consequences.
The funny part is, Laine also said in his pre-game comments, “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.”
Comments like that obviously run counter to the thesis of this specific piece. And it’s almost comically ironic that Laine’s inability to play a full game against the Blue Jackets has put the Canadiens in a position in the standings where they have to face facts regarding their realistic chances or lack thereof this season. It’s simply not going to happen.
Canadiens No Longer Control Their Destiny in 2024-25
Only play Laine when he’s 100%, because, if the team can’t show the desperation they need to make a serious run, having just won three games for the first time all season, against a fellow-non-playoff team like the Blue Jackets, they’ve arguably already made the same decision internally, anyway. That’s the culture/mentality Laine described, whether it was accurate or not, that they must avoid.
So, to be perfectly clear, the Canadiens should try to keep trying to win every game, because the performance against the Blue Jackets was wholly unacceptable. It’s just that results shouldn’t matter as much as overall effort at this juncture.
As was implied at the top of the piece, if you’re a Canadiens fan, you’re probably hoping Laine isn’t all that seriously injured if at all and that the Habs simply didn’t play him, because they figured he was being targeted. In such an unlikely instance, sure, keep playing Laine. Don’t keep him in bubble wrap. You can’t approach a contact sport like hockey that way. You also can’t take anything for granted, though. That includes his health. It includes Montembeault. Last night, it also included the Blue Jackets. And, again, objectively, it wasn’t just one game. It’s been all season, admittedly without having had Laine’s demonstrable game-breaking ability available to them over a long stretch.
The Canadiens can’t change that now, though. And it will be very difficult to change the outlook of this season based on what’s already transpired. So, take these next few days to recharge and relax. It’s Christmas, after all. The Canadiens as a whole should also reassess the situation and reflect on whether they want to be a position similar to this at this point next year.
Based on his ill-advised comments, Laine clearly doesn’t. No one should. That’s kinda why his comments were unnecessary in the first place. Although there is an admitted time and a place for obvious statements like, “Don’t play the injured guy until he’s ready.”
