Patrik Laine's fresh start: Canadiens fans eager for his Montreal debut
Photo credit: X
Montreal Canadiens fans saw Patrik Laine take those first strides in a Habs uniform and are ready for him to make his mark in his new home.
Acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets along with a second-round pick in exchange for Jordan Harris, Laine had requested a trade during the offseason. Unfortunately, that led to some rumors about him having a bad attitude.
However, an insider recently shared insights that cast a different light on the Laine situation in Columbus.
TSN's Craig Button, during a chat on Tony Marinaro's podcast, defended Laine and didn't hold back in his criticism of the Blue Jackets.
The Blue Jackets have never been more than just another game on the schedule.
What Button meant is that Columbus isn't a feared franchise in the NHL. Outside of their memorable playoff upset against the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2019, they haven't had any playoff success in franchise history.
Now that Laine is in Montreal, there's hope he'll reignite his passion for the game here in Montreal. Who knows? We might just see him rediscover that deadly scoring touch we all know he has.
Over his time in the league, Laine has racked up 106 goals at even strength. When he was with the Winnipeg Jets, Laine scored 72 of those goals. After moving to the Columbus Blue Jackets, though, his rate dipped to 0.83 goals per 60 minutes, with 34 goals in 2457.0 minutes. That's about a 19% drop. Yet there's a reason. In Winnipeg, he took about 27-28% of all shots on goal during his shifts. But that number fell to an average of 21.6%, with his highest being just 24.1% with the Blue Jackets.
Laine's style of play hasn't changed throughout his career. He's not one to battle in front of the net for tips and rebounds. Instead, he tends to roam around the offensive zone, waiting for the right moment to strike. He's always looking for that perfect pass to his left flank or the high slot, where he can unleash his patented quick release and score.
It's a strategy that's worked for him, and is expected to be rekindled in Montreal alongside Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki.
| POLL | ||
8 SEPTEMBRE | 49 ANSWERS Patrik Laine's fresh start: Canadiens fans eager for his Montreal debut How do you feel about Patrik Laine joining the Montreal Canadiens? | ||
| Excited | 17 | 34.7 % |
| Cautiously optimistic | 32 | 65.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
Latest 10 stories
