The Montreal Canadiens have suffered some tough news as the team has announced that Patrik Laine will be sidelined by a left knee injury for up to three months.
However, on the plus side, the team announced late Tuesday Laine won’t require surgery and his timetable to return from a sprained knee is two to three months, meaning he should be in the lineup in January.
The Finnish forward was injured on Saturday night in the first period of Montreal’s pre-season contest with the Toronto Maple Leafs after a knee-on-knee collision with Maple Leafs prospect Cédric Paré.
The Habs star needed assistance to get off the ice after his knee bent in an unnatural way during the collision with Paré.
Canadiens fans were left with a bitter taste in their mouths as the Laine injury occurred minutes after defensive prospect David Reinbacher was also forced from the contest following an open-ice hit.
The team announced Tuesday morning that the Austrian defenceman had undergone surgery on his left knee and would be out of action for 5 to 6 months.
Laine was seen by reporters at the arena on Monday but was on the bench sporting crutches and an aircast.
He was initially drafted by Winnipeg with the second overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft and had his best season in his second year with the Jets when he scored 44 goals and collected 26 assists.
Two seasons later, he recorded 63 points in 68 games in a season that was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Laine would only play one more contest with Winnipeg before being dealt to the Columbus Blue Jackets.
He spent three-and-a-half seasons in Columbus but was hit by a number of injuries. Last January, Laine entered the NHL’s player assistance program for his mental health
Laine came to Montreal in an off-season trade with the team hoping his heavy slapshot would provide some scoring punch to their second line as they hoped to make their first playoff appearance in three years.
BACKLASH ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Saturday night’s collision prompted a number of people to threaten Paré over social media – something which members of the Habs denounced Monday.
“Nobody should have to go through something like that, just an unfortunate event,” Canadiens star Cole Caufield said. “People should probably keep some of those thoughts to themselves, nobody’s trying to hurt anybody out there.”
Quebec public security minister François Bonnardel also defended of Paré, who hails from Levis, Que.
“It is absolutely deplorable to see the treatment Cédric Paré has received on social media in recent days,” Bonnardel wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “This kind of online hate has no place in Quebec.”
— With files from the Canadian Press