Canadiens Face Tough Questions About Patrik Laine’s Future

The off-season has officially arrived for the Montreal Canadiens, a team that proved they are closer to being contenders, and one that gave the Washington Capitals a decent fight in Round 1. However, one player who wasn’t memorable in the series was forward Patrik Laine. He was not involved in Wednesday's Game 5, and speculation has surfaced about his future with the team.

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Eligible for a contract extension this July, Laine’s fit in Montreal is anything but perfect. A power play whiz, the rest of his game was underwhelming, and an injury-plagued season didn’t help clear the muddy waters regarding a potential extension.

Acquired in a high-risk, high-reward move from Columbus, Laine arrived with the hope that a fresh start would reignite his offensive spark. But while his lethal shot remains a power-play asset, his overall impact leaves a lot to be desired.

The 27-year-old has struggled to keep pace with the Canadiens’ high-pressure, fast-paced system, and his exclusion from the first-round series in a must-win game speaks highly to how head coach Martin St. Louis regards the sniper.

Defensively, he remains a liability, and when he's not scoring, he's not contributing.

One could argue he was anything but injury-free, which likely impacted his play. However, at what point does the organization wonder if he’ll ever be injury-free? When you factor in the reality that he hasn’t progressed from his incredible rookie season with the Jets and he’s missed a lot of time throughout his NHL career, Laine is anything but a sure thing.

Laine’s contract adds another layer of complexity. With an $8.7-million cap hit –including $7.1 million in base salary — he’s the Canadiens’ highest-paid player. That salary brings not just pressure but also expectations. He needs to be a difference-maker, just as much as Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki or Juraj Slafkovsky are. For a team that needs to take further steps in the right direction (and they did take significant steps this season), investing a substantial amount of money into Laine seems irresponsible.

For GM Kent Hughes, options are limited. Trading Laine seems unlikely without attaching sweeteners, such as draft picks or retaining salary. The Canadiens might be in a position to move picks for immediate help, but they aren’t in a position to throw future assets away.

A buyout may be an option per puckpedia.com, but Montreal would face a $3.97 million cap hit in 2025-26 and $2.37 million in 2026-27. That certainly is not ideal, even with a rising salary cap. Money needs to be set aside for Lane Hutson and Ivan Demidov.

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Ultimately, riding out next season and moving on if Laine doesn’t make a bigger impact may be the way to go. If worse comes to worst, the Canadiens lose him for nothing and pivot to free agency and someone more in line with their competitive window. Ideally, moving him at next season’s trade deadline might be something worth considering.

Unless there’s a dramatic turnaround or mutual interest in a low-cost extension, it’s becoming increasingly clear that his time in Montreal may be coming to an end.