The Montreal Canadiens were one of the biggest overachievers of the past NHL season. While a pleasant sight to see, that can only mean one thing for the Habs. The bar is only being placed higher for Patrik Laine and company now.
Laine is coming off a bittersweet campaign with the Habs. After sustaining a knee-sprain in the preseason, Laine played in 52 games during the 2024-25 NHL regular season. However, he wasn’t used much in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, appearing in just two of the five first round games against the Washington Capitals.
Laine’s lack of use by Montreal in the postseason led many to believe the 27-year-old winger could be on his way out of the City of Saints. Still, reports indicate Laine may have finally found some stability with the Canadiens.
Entering the 2025-26 NHL campaign, Laine’s job might not be on the line, but he’ll have to earn every minute of ice-time he gets. As it’s been made clear by recent rumors around the league, head coach Martin St. Louis might be eyeing a move down the ranks for Laine. As the Finn had grown accustomed to sharing the ice on the second line with Ivan Demidov and Alex Newhook, he might be in for a surprise come training camp.
Patrik Laine #92 of the Montreal Canadiens is seen in crutches as he is introduced during the pre-game ceremony against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Bell Centre on October 9, 2024 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 1-0.
According to the projected lines published on both NHL.com and Daily Faceoff, Laine is trending toward deployment on the third line rather than the second unit. This downgrade in the team’s hierarchy could further impact his production, which is already concerning in 5-on-5 situations.
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Projected forwards lines
- LW Cole Caufield – C Nick Suzuki – RW Juraj Slafkovsky
- Zack Bolduc – Kirby Dach – Ivan Demidov
- Patrik Laine – Alex Newhook – Oliver Kapanen
- Brendan Gallagher – Jake Evans – Josh Anderson
Decision on the power play
It’s no secret that Patrik Laine earns his $9.1M salary thanks to his second-to-none slap shot, which is most effective during man-advantage situations. Much like Alex Ovechkin, once the Canadiens establish possession in the offensive zone, Laine operates from his ‘office’—the left faceoff circle.
From there, he can take on any NHL goaltender and beat him consistently. But there’s a risk in relying on what some may call a one-trick pony. Come playoff time, referees around the NHL are known to put their whistles away more often than not, resulting in fewer power play opportunities. As a result, Laine’s value takes a considerable hit during the spring.
Such a scenario presents a dilemma for HC St. Louis and the Habs. Playing Laine on the first unit could make that group too predictable, while assigning him to the PP2 might leave the naturally gifted scorer settling for scraps and spending most of his ice time going up and down the ice trying to establish a zone entry. It’s a double-edged sword, but one thing is clear: Montreal must find a use for a player who takes up approximately 9% of the team’s cap space.
