In just 17 days, the Bell Centre will come alive for the Montreal Canadiens’ first preseason game, which means that it’s time for the predictions and expectations. Over the last few days and weeks, plenty has been written and said about Habs sniper Patrik Laine.

The Hockey News’ Yearbook and Fantasy Guide is not kind to the big Finn, forecasting that he will feature in just 65 games this season and gather 45 points. Former Canadiens player turned radio host Georges Laraque has been very vocal on the airwaves about not believing in a Laine resurgence. He even said he’s willing to bet that the left winger won’t play in more than 40 games. At the other end of the spectrum, TVA Sports’ Anthony Martineau believes he’ll have a big season and goes as far as saying he’ll score 35 goals and even more.

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Predicting hockey players' performance is tricky business at the best of times, but it’s even harder for Laine. As talented as he is, he has only played two full 82-game seasons in his nine NHL campaigns. The two complete seasons were in 2017-18 and 2018-19. Since then, the most games he has played were 68, and that was in 2019-20.

Last year with the Canadiens, despite a serious injury, he was still able to play in 52 games, scoring 20 goals and adding 13 assists for 33 points. He started his season with a bang in December, scoring power-play goals at an alarming rate, but he couldn’t keep up his torrid pace.

Furthermore, coach Martin St-Louis eventually became annoyed with his lack of commitment to the defensive side of the game. By season’s end, he had been demoted and was seeing very little ice time on the power play, which no doubt hindered his production.

It wasn’t an easy season, and it was one in which he must have learned a lot. He worked for St-Louis for the first time and experienced that while the Canadiens’ bench boss could be considered a players’ coach, he still holds his players accountable; if you’re not putting in the work, you won't get the top jobs.

He also learned that you couldn’t arrive in the previous market you played in and blast that team’s willingness to win in the media. As his coach would say, he “paid cash” for those comments and became a target for the Columbus Blue Jackets’ players. As a result, he only played the first period, logging in just over six minutes of ice time and being on the receiving end of numerous hits.

I’m not as optimistic as Martineau about Laine’s goal production, but I share his confidence that he will have a big campaign, partly because he's entering a contract year. Of course, that generally tends to motivate players, but the way Laine has embraced the Montreal market is a good omen for me. He’s in a good place both mentally and physically, and unlike last season, he was able to train on ice all summer.

Furthermore, while he might have been disappointed last season that he didn’t get to play with the Canadiens’ top guns, this season all signs point to him being called upon to play with rookie sensation Ivan Demidov. Playing with a guy who has such a high hockey IQ and can be a magician with the puck should be a significant motivating factor as well.

The time spent training and on the ice this summer should also allow him to be healthier this season. I believe it’s similar to Brendan Gallagher, who struggled for some time but came back in force last season after having a whole summer of training due to being healthy. The alternate captain was in much better shape and managed to avoid any significant injury as a result. The last time he had played a full 82-game season was back in 2018-19, just like Laine.

Of course, Gallagher’s dedication level has always been right up there, while Laine has a more laid-back attitude on the ice, but it’s not out of the realm of possibilities that the Canadiens’ leadership could affect Laine.

At 27 years old, he’s no longer a youngster in the room; he’s not in the same situation as he was with the Winnipeg Jets, where some of the veterans were giving him a tough time. He is in the best possible environment, and I’m convinced he’ll step up to the challenge. Of course, he won’t reach the 70-point mark; he only did that once, but I think 50 points is a realistic target and prediction for the sharpshooter.

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