Uncertainty looms around Patrik Laine's future with the Canadiens following Eric Engels' comments
Photo credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images
We've just had a fairly unexpected twist in the Patrik Laine situation with the Montreal Canadiens.
The question is being asked bluntly in Montreal: will Patrik Laine ever play again for the Habs?
Internally, forward depth is becoming a fascinating issue, and when everyone is healthy, decisions inevitably come, even if no one likes them.
On Monday night, Eric Engels dropped a line that's getting people talking: he said no one has a definitive answer about Laine's future with the Canadiens.
That's a major question mark hanging over the locker room.
That's huge.
Some believe Patrik Laine may have played his last game with the Montreal Canadiens
And Engels seems to have asked the question to very well-informed people.
This season, Laine has just one point in five games with Montreal, a single assist, along with a -3 rating.
And yet, his last full season with the Habs is a reminder of why his name ended up here in the first place.
In 2024-25, he scored 20 goals and recorded 33 points in 52 games.
The overall picture on paper also remains impressive.
Laine has 224 goals and 422 points in 537 career NHL games. That's the kind of résumé that makes you think talent doesn't just disappear.
But hockey isn't just about adding up points.
When you no longer have a natural spot in the top six and you end up rotating on a depth line, you become a puzzle.
For now, the only truth is that there are eight games left before the Olympic break, and the Canadiens will have to decide whether this group holds together.
Will Patrik Laine be traded during the Olympic Games?
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| POLL | ||
JANVIER 20|1534 ANSWERS Uncertainty looms around Patrik Laine's future with the Canadiens following Eric Engels' comments Will Patrik Laine play again with the Montreal Canadiens? | ||
| Yes | 764 | 49.8 % |
| No | 770 | 50.2 % |
| List of polls | ||