Patrik Laine scored 20 goals in 52 games with the Montreal Canadiens this past season. That’s the fourth-highest total on the team behind only Cole Caufield (37 goals), Nick Suzuki (30 goals), and a rejuvenated Brendan Gallagher (21 goals). Those three all played 82 games, and in 30 fewer games, Laine was nearly tied with the alternate captain.
Sure, Laine has defensive shortcomings, but you need to score goals to win games. Can the Canadiens afford to do without his production? There has been speculation about the Habs being set to negotiate a contract extension with the Finnish sniper after the draft, a rumor that originated from David Pagnotta and has since been dismissed by journalists closer to the Canadiens’ dressing room, such as Sportsnet’s Eric Engels, speaking on Tony Marinaro’s Sick Podcast. La Presse’s Mathias Brunet even called the idea “comical,” adding that Sidney Crosby to Montreal seemed more concrete.
So, perhaps talks are not set to take place, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they shouldn’t happen. Granted, Laine has had a rollercoaster of a season and has not played like a player worth an $8.7M cap hit, and I think even he knows that. At the tail end of the season, he realized that if he weren’t going to play Martin St-Louis’ way, he wouldn’t be getting the ice time or the power play opportunities. He was given more than enough time to adapt to the system, but resisted much like Asterix and his friends fought the Romans. If he’s ready to buy in, though? Why not give him a short extension?
Laine is not above signing a “show me deal”, not with the way he left both the Winnipeg Jets and the Columbus Blue Jackets. At the end of the season, his fiancée posted a heartfelt Instagram post in which she thanked the town for helping Laine rediscover his love for hockey.
If he does indeed love hockey again and credits Montreal for that, he may be willing to stay, not just for a truckload of money. Am I suggesting the Canadiens should sign Laine long-term? No. But should they be willing to expend on the experiment? I believe they should, if the price is right, of course.
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