After a blowout loss against the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday, the Montreal Canadiens could get a major weapon back in their lineup next week.
On Monday morning, TVA Sports reporter Renaud Lavoie revealed that forward Patrik Laine was spotted wearing a non-contact jersey at practice for the first time since suffering a knee injury in the preseason.
Another optimistic sign came during Saturday’s TVA Sports broadcast when Lavoie reported that Montreal expects to see Laine back in game form “within 10 days.”
Patrik Laine with a regular jersey on this morning. @CanadiensMTL
— Renaud Lavoie (@renlavoietva) November 25, 2024
Stu Cowan of The Montreal Gazette later shared a video of the 26-year-old practicing with the Canadiens at the CN Sports Complex in Brossard. He skated on a line with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield.
Patrik Laine wearing red full-contact sweater at #Habs practice this morning in Brossard #HabsIO pic.twitter.com/ktHPaynXTl
— Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) November 25, 2024
Laine, who was acquired in an offseason trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets, has yet to make his regular-season debut for the Canadiens. The Finnish sniper last played in December 2023 before dealing with injuries and entering the NHLPA’s player assistance program.
After finding himself on the wrong end of a knee-on-knee collision in September, Laine was initially given a recovery timeline of two to three months. Despite the setback, he has been steadily progressing and has regularly joined team practices over the past week.
Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis shared his excitement about Laine’s return over the weekend.
“We’re excited to see him on the ice, I think we all thought that it might be worse than it was. I’m looking forward to him having a real jersey and not a non-contact jersey,” the bench boss told reporters on Saturday. “I think that’s going to get even more exciting for the boys.”
While there’s no exact date for when Habs fans will see him in uniform, they’re hoping it’s sooner than later as Montreal sits at the bottom of the NHL’s Atlantic Division.
Drafted second overall by the Winnipeg Jets back in 2017, Laine has netted 204 goals and 388 points over 480 NHL games.