Patrik Laine confirms what Cedric Pare told him after the hit that caused his injury

Last Saturday, the Canadiens faced the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Bell Center in a preseason game that looked like a playoff game. Intensity was high, and within five minutes of the first period, both David Reinbacher and Patrik Laine left the ice with injuries.

The Habs later confirmed that Reinbacher would miss five to six months, while Laine would miss only two or three.

The verdict on Laine relieved a lot of Habs fans, who thought his season would be over. However, a lot of them were still not over Cedric Pare's hit. The Leafs' player attracted criticism for injuring the player, despite saying it was an accident.

Meanwhile, Laine and the rest of the Habs players are in a team retreat and held interviews for the first time since the incident.

The player revealed that Pare reached out to him after the game and stated that he doesn't blame him as he put himself in a bad position. He added that he even respects Pare for reaching out.

Watch his whole interview here:

As of now, fans are just happy to see him with the team and looking forward to his comeback. Knowing that he'll be back for the second half of the season gives hope that the Canadiens will still be "in the mix" for the playoffs.

There's no saying in what shape Laine will be when he comes back, especially since he chose not to get surgery. But thinking about his comeback in the lineup will surely motivate his teammates to have a strong start to the season.