A few weeks ago, on August 19th, Canadiens fans were jumping for joy as they learned of the trade, which would send Patrik Laine and a second-round draft pick to the Habs for defensive prospect Jordan Harris. The need for a goalscoring forward in Montreal was dire, and Laine might be the perfect solution.
Looking Back
Last season was a step forward in the eyes of the general manager, Kent Hughes, as we saw much development across the entire team. Players like Nick Suzuki and Kaiden Guhle continued to improve, while Juraj Slafkovsky emerged as the star fans hoped for when they drafted him first overall two years ago.
The injury in the second game of the season to Kirby Dach was a tough pill to swallow, as the need for offensive help only increased. The missing factor during the power-play was also very noticeable, as the second powerplay unit was typically made up of bottom-six players and was very ineffective throughout the season.
Another major problem the Canadiens faced was a very simple one and a huge reason the addition of Laine is so impactful: scoring goals. As cliche as it sounds, the Habs struggled to put the puck in the back of the net. Apart from Nick Suzuki, who had a career year around the board, nobody contributed goals at a high level for the team. Cole Caufield was an anomaly during the 2023-24 season, as he had perhaps the unluckiest goalscoring season out of any single NHL player last season, shooting a dreadful 8.9%. And still managing to score 28 goals. His shooting percentage will almost definitely come up next season.
How Does Laine Affect the Outcome?
To understand how Laine will impact the team, we need to know who his linemates are going to be. I am going to bet that even Martin St. Louis won't have the answer until we see a few combinations in training camp and pre-season.
The option of pairing Laine with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield is an intriguing one. However, Slafkovsky had an outstanding run on that line last season, so I can't see the Canadiens shaking that up, but we can't rule it out as a possibility. The most likely option for Laine would be to make up a whole new line with Alex Newhook and Kirby Dach. The three of them are all younger players that Kent Hughes has acquired via trade over the past few seasons, and together, they could be detrimental to opposing defenders. Newhook had a career-best in goals and points in a season that was cut to only 55 games for him due to injuries. Dach is returning from an injury that had him sidelined almost all season, as he only made it through 2 games in the 2023-24 campaign. Looking back on his 2022-23 season, he had also done similarly to Newhook with a career-best season playing alongside Suzuki and Caufield.
Martin St. Louis seems to have a track record of turning young players who didn't quite reach their potential into key contributors, so let's hope that trend continues with the Finnish star.
Adding a star scorer like Patrik Laine changes everything for the forward core in Montreal. The return of Kirby Dach, coupled with the addition of Laine, makes the team much better down the lineup. We are beginning to see higher-quality players in the bottom six because the Canadiens are filling the top six with new, quality players.
Apart from the factor of heightened depth, we haven't seen this much star power in Montreal since the 1990s. Laine is a goal scorer like this franchise hasn't seen in decades. The power-play with Laine is completely different, as he adds a major threat on the left side of the ice with his famously lethal one-timer. Mix that with Suzuki's special from the point on the right-hand side, and throw Caufield in the slot; Canadiens fans are in for a treat.
The added danger of Laine will put less pressure on Caufield, mentally and literally, as defencemen will have no choice but to cover all areas instead of locking down Caufield at all times.
Summary
If it all comes together, which there is certainly no guarantee of, as the Canadiens have faced major injury troubles in the past few seasons, the team could be poised for a breakthrough in the standings, potentially even hunting for a playoff position this season. Is it likely? ...Probably not. However, Canadiens fans should be excited because the time has come when it's not crazy to speculate on what can be in Montreal.
Laine is a player who has faced mental challenges and injury challenges and has had a rough few years in Columbus and Winnipeg. However, he is beaming at the opportunity he has in Montreal, and if he can do what he has the potential to do... boy, oh boy, Canadiens fans are going to get amped.
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