His acquisition in August got Montreal Canadiens fans pumped up for the 2024-2025 season, but his injury in a preseason game against the Toronto Maple Leafs brought the enthusiasm right back down. In a way, that was a preview of what Patrik Laine’s season with the Habs would be like.
When the big Finn was finally ready to play in December, he went on an absolute tear, scoring power-play goals game after game and getting the Bell Centre buzzing every time a penalty was called on the opponent. In the 52 games he was about to play, he scored 20 goals, making him the 4th scorer on the team behind Cole Caufield at 37, Nick Suzuki with 30, and Brendan Gallagher at 21.
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That works out to 0.4 goals per game, and projected over 82 games, he would have had a total of 32 goals, second only to Caufield. Out of those 20 lamplighters, 15 came on the power play, good for fourth in the league. Jake Guentzel led the league with 17 PPG (in 80 games), followed by Brayden Point with 16 PPG (in 77 games) and Leon Draisaitl with 16 PPG (in 71 games). None of the leaders played fewer than 70 games, making their efficiency remarkable.
His 33 points were the seventh highest total on the team, even though he played just 52 games. Of course, his plus/minus rating was the third worst on the team at minus-14, but no one ever said he would be a defensive wizard.
Overall, Laine came as advertised. He was a terrific weapon on the power play and one who could score out of nowhere. However, there were some bumps along the road. His inflammatory comments before his first game back in Columbus made him a target for the Blue Jackets players, and after taking a few hits, he was pulled from the game.
There was also the fact that the effort level in his zone wasn’t always up to par, but that’s not what he’s ever been known for. Even though some pundits believe Laine shouldn’t be with the Canadiens when the next training camp opens, I disagree wholeheartedly. The Canadiens need his scoring, and the addition of a player like Ivan Demidov, who has some serious passing skills, may mean he’ll become more effective at even strength, even more so if Kent Hughes can work his magic to fix the Canadiens’ gaping hole at the second center position.
Ultimately, I think Laine has earned a B- grade for his performance this year. His inability to produce at even strength cost him, and there’s plenty of room for improvement this upcoming season, which coincidentally will be a contract year for the left winger.
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