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How Laine's Absence Affects Canadiens' Roster and Playoff Hopes
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- How Laine's Absence Affects Canadiens' Roster and Playoff Hopes
David Kirouac-Imagn Images
Montreal Canadiens forward Patrik Laine will be forced to miss a significant stretch of the season, following a surgical intervention to repair a sports hernia.
The 27-year-old is expected to miss three to four months, putting the projected recovery date sometime between late January and late February.
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Laine Health Impact
Player health will always take the utmost precedence, and given that Laine has dealt with his fair share of injuries in the last few seasons, this will further complicate his situation.
Beyond the core muscle injury, the absence will have an impact on Laine's mental health, as professional athletes tend to struggle away from their teammates, as well as the rigid structure provided by a predetermined schedule. Fortunately, he will still have access to a strong support system, as was the case when Kirby Dach had to deal with consecutive season-ending injuries.
Montreal Canadiens Roster Impact
Laine has essentially become a special teams player for the Montreal Canadiens, a result of the discrepancy between his 5v5 and powerplay results.
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He had been used on the fourth line by head coach Martin St-Louis , allowing him to stay fresh once the already struggling powerplay was called into action. In that vein, replacing his limited minutes at 5v5 won't be a problem, but there's no denying he possesses an excellent one-timer, among the best in the NHL.
Even though Laine only played 52 games last season, he still managed to finish the year with 15 powerplay goals, good for fourth overall in the NHL, ahead of such players as Alexander Ovechkin , Steven Stamkos , and Sidney Crosby .
His flood of powerplay goals allowed the Canadiens to navigate one of their most difficult stretches of the season, not to mention qualify for the playoffs, which they did by the skin of their teeth. Montreal earned 91 points last season, just two more than the Columbus Blue Jackets , connoting that they would have missed the playoffs without Laine's crucial powerplay contributions.
As it stands, Montreal has the 22nd ranked powerplay in the league, having scored just five goals in 32 man-advantage opportunities.
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Laine's absence will further reduce their scoring options, putting even more pressure on rookie Ivan Demidov , who has quickly established himself as one of the best playmakers on the team.
The Canadiens may not have anyone in the lineup who can replace Laine's one-timer, but Demidov's ability to quickly create passing lanes should lead to an uptick in scoring, especially once his teammates learn to anticipate quick, hard passes in high-danger scoring areas.
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Laine's absence should also open the door to even more powerplay scoring opportunities for players such as Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki , while giving younger players attempting to earn a permanent position in the NHL more shifts on the fourth line, including prospects Owen Beck and Florian Xhekaj, though the latter is expected to stay in the AHL for the time being.
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This is the final season of Laine's four-year contract , which carries an annual average value of $8.7 million. There was very little chance he would have found a team in the NHL willing to offer a contract in the same range once the contract expired, though there's always interest in the league for a player who can score once he's given the appropriate time and space in the offensive zone.
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