Patrik Laine attends Canadiens practice after preseason injury

PUBLICATION

Liam McCormick
September 30, 2024 (9:51)

SHARE THIS STORY

This morning, Montreal Canadiens forward Patrik Laine showed up to to practice to observ from the bench while still on crutches.

In the Habs' last preseason game against the Maple Leafs, Patrik Laine sustained a scary lower body injury after a knee on knee collision with Cédric Paré. Laine was then seen leaving the Bell Center on crutches that night. It's a good sign that he's in good spirits and attending practice with his new teammates, but seeing him still on crutches may not be a good sign.

Cameras even got a close up view of Laine departing the bench, getting a look at how he was walking. He seemed to be wearing a brace on his left knee and clearly needed the support of crutches to walk, but he is getting around on his own.

This injury may be a truly devastating setback for Patrik Laine. After spending most of last season in the Player Assistance Program, Laine requested a trade off the Columbus Blue Jackets to get a fresh start and rekindle his offensive talents. Laine scored an incredible 80 goals in his first two seasons, but now hasn't exceeded 30 goals in 6 seasons. The Canadiens acquired him in trade hoping to give him that fresh start to have a bounce back year, but this is just such an unfortunate start. The primary concern is a torn ACL, which could take Laine out of commission all season.

To this point, no official details have been released about the nature of Laine's injury. Hopefully it isn't as bad as it originally seemed, and Laine is able to get back into games early this season. After a few tough years, plenty of hockey fans are cheering for him to find his game again.