Pondering Over Laine's Future
In his stint as the Canadian Canadiens' general manager, Marc Bergevin had already pointed out that some players help a team get to the series, and others win it. As per Kent Hughes, Patrik Laine falls squarely into the former category.
In an end-of-season review, Guillaume Lefrançois of our site noted, "We wouldn't be in the series without Patrik Laine. What he gave us when he returned to the game were crucial goals at crucial times." The Finnish forward's return to health on December 3, 2024 marked Montreal's initial push. Laine immediately energized the power play, scoring 8 goals in his first 13 games with the team.
However, it's worth mentioning that all of his goals were scored on the power play. At 5-on-5, opposing teams had a field day against Montreal, dominating them in shot attempts and scoring chances. With Laine on the ice, Montreal was outshot 445-622 and outscored 76-127, according to Natural Stat Trick. His 37.44% controlled scoring chance ratio was 583rd in the NHL, making him one of the least effective forwards in terms of creating opportunities.
"Was it always a straight line? No, he had difficulties at 5-on-5," Hughes admitted. "But I was impressed because I saw a willingness to always improve."
Despite some struggles, Laine demonstrated a strong desire to learn, improve, and be a team player.
Before joining Montreal, Laine spent the 2023-24 season with the Columbus Blue Jackets, scoring 6 goals and 3 assists in 18 games. His key contributions came later in the 2024-25 season when he joined the Canadiens, racking up 20 goals and 13 assists in 52 games (including 15 power-play goals).
However, Montreal's performance metrics regarding Laine's impact remains unclear from available data. Against the Canadiens historically, Laine has nine goals and four assists in 11 career games, including a three-point game in April 2022.
Kent Hughes mentioned that Lane Hutson is eligible for a contract extension as early as July 1, 2025. "It's important to communicate, to know what's important to Lane. [...] We'll start talking and see where it goes," Hughes said.
July 2024 saw both Kaiden Guhle and Juraj Slafkovsky renewing their contracts, a year before the expiration of their entry-level deals. Cole Caufield waited until four weeks before the deadline but renewed his contract in a more chaotic season, during which Hughes and Jeff Gorton were hired and Caufield faced numerous difficulties in the first half of the season.
The drama didn't stop there for Laine. He made some controversial statements that likely fired up opponents, notably implying that his former teammate, Connor Hellebuyck, was avoiding facing him, and criticizing the culture of the Columbus Blue Jackets. These comments were followed by defeats.
With the Montreal Canadiens season not yet over, the Laval Rocket is participating in the Calder Cup playoffs. They currently lead 2-1 in the division semi-finals against Cleveland. Meanwhile, Pascal Vincent has been named AHL Coach of the Year, wrapping up a spectacular first year with the Canadiens' farm team.
There's been buzz about interested teams reaching out to Vincent for coaching positions in the NHL. "I'll talk to Pascal and let him decide the path," Hughes said, also praising Vincent's willingness to "play the kids," even if it's tempting to turn to more seasoned players to boost the chances of victory.
- Despite some struggles in 5-on-5 gameplay, Patrik Laine demonstrated a strong desire to learn and improve, which Kent Hughes found impressive.
- In the 2024-25 season, Patrik Laine joined the Montreal Canadiens and scored 20 goals and 13 assists, making a significant impact.
- Although some controversies arose due to controversial statements that fired up opponents, Patrik Laine's contributions were instrumental in helping the Canadiens reach the series.
- As the Canadian Canadiens' general manager, Kent Hughes will soon be negotiating a contract extension for Lane Hutson, just as he did for Kaiden Guhle, Juraj Slafkovsky, and Cole Caufield in previous seasons.
