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Has Patrik Laine become a liability for the Canadiens? | HI/O Bonus



Head coach Martin St. Louis benched forward Patrik Laine for the entire third period of the Canadiens’ 3-1 loss to the Capitals in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series in Washington on Wednesday night. What should the Canadiens do with him moving forward?

That’s the question answered on this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode as The Gazette’s Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan and Rick Green.

48 Comments

  1. Laine has helped the Montreal Canadiens make the playoffs and here you are bashing him? must be a French thing to have to point the finger at someone who has done nothing but help the team… I'm ashamed to be a Habs fan when all they do is bash their own players! What about Monte? I bet you won't point out his flaws because he is French right? absolutely disgusting

  2. I've heard rumblings about the potential of bringing up Flo. Not sure how that would affect Laval, but it's worth considering. I'd put him on the wing with Zuks and Coffee, slide Slaff back with Demidov and Newhook. Maybe give Armia and Savard the night off as well, slot in Pezz and Arber. This I would love to see!

  3. I’m ready to live with Laine and his flaws if he’s the 6th or 7th best forward on the team overall, but to play 5 vs 5 with absolutely 0 effort, something gotta explain it, injuries ? Does he need therapy this off-season ? Is he simply unhappy to be here ?

    When a team is struggling to score goals for decades you don’t simply get rid of a potential solution that easily …. and if we do, better get something back so we can lie to ourselves about the whole experience being a success !!!

  4. Apparently, Laine is missing on the morning practice, can't wait for the pre-game press release.

  5. Am I crazy… I think Laine has also been dog shite on the power play too he’s a no trick pony rn. Powerplay looks awful when he’s out. And he never makes an attempt to keep the puck in. Ruins pp momentum

  6. Laine would be great if he did not try to deke every guy out; use the skill of passing the puck and skate to the net once in awhile. That is all Marty has to do – besides making sure they do not start his line in the defensive zone.

  7. As of current day – yes. When he isn't scoring, he has shown throughout the season that he isn't effective outside of being on the left top circle during the powerplay. He's otherwise a give away machine and does not have a real impact due to a questionable work ethic. I believe he's in some kind of discomfort or injury, so he isn't shooting well and therefore not effective at all. Most knew that he is/was a 1-dimensional player, and that isn't necessarily a bad thing, but without him being able to deliver that 1 dimension (scoring), he's ineffective and should sit.

  8. Was Laine like this when with Winnipeg? I know he was streaky but to be such a wimp, I did not expect it. He will probably be gone soon and no big loss.

  9. When we talk about Laine camping on the left side, we need to talk about how Hutson is not a threat from the point. Without the threat at the point, defenses can cheat over on Laine.

  10. Play him on line 4 for a few shifts per game – the rest of the time he only plays on the PP – maybe bench him a game and see if he responds – Remember when he criticized Columbus for their lack of desire to win ?

  11. I'd rather see Wifi as a 7th defencemen and bench Laine, rather than using him only on the PP

    Let demidov have Laine's PP spot

  12. He is the one who made our pp great and one of the guys who made this play off spot real!!!! Without him in that PP we would never been in the playoffs in the first place snd that's why they got him! Why are all extra hard at Laine when players done same things/mistakes but aint saying much but when it's Laine people going crazy if he plays bad.

  13. Basing the guy isn't the way to go about it. I like how Marty doesn't do this. The media is so thirsty for dirt. For all we know, he could be nursing an injury. It's partly thanks to Laine that we made it this far.

  14. I have tons of respect for you guys, but while Laine is not the most intense player on the ice (to say the least!), the Canadiens have been blown out in any game. Yes he is giving away the puck but he is playing with a green rookie that doesn't seem to know where to position himself. He's also playing with Newhook who is too fast for Laine and is not able to put the puck in an empty net. If the game has finished 6 -1 for the Caps and Laine was -3, I would say: let's sit him. But seriously, we need goals more than we need more defence right now…

  15. Laine has been injured/away from the game for a large part of the last 2 years. His body isn't where it needs to be. He had a great start to game 1 and clearly ran out of gas. It was even more apparent in game 2. This is a conditioning issue and not him dogging it. Weak passes, seems slow to react that is all natural for someone who is expending all this energy just to get to where he needs to be and doesn't have much left to execute. Patience long term, post-szn though habs are competing but have glaring holes. Lot of positives but there is a reason why playoff teams are filled with veterans…the kids haven't honed their bodies yet for the playoffs. It'll come.

  16. Mental health is the issue with Laine. Sorry but some players are like that. They will not increase their output because it's the playoffs. They just not comfortable playing under pressure and just go on passive autopilot until team gets eliminated.

  17. He's hurt. He's a major asset when he's healthy. He wants to be a useful player and he will be. Don't give up on the guy. He has great hands and he almost always makes a smart play. The Habs are better when he is on the team unquestionably, since he came back we went from 31st to making the playoffs. Habs fans tend to be super negative as well, we undermine our players confidence when we are like that and it makes good players not want to play in Montreal.

  18. But anyone saw the chance he created for newhook?He can create chance or put him only with Suzuki so he can recovered his mistakes.He is probably still injured so relaxed.

  19. Patrik Laine has made mistakes coughing up the puck a few times. He's also a bit slow moving around with and without the puck.

  20. We all see it. Unfortunate that he has such a veteran role . But its a young team. what can they do?

  21. Sfav hasn't been great it's not just Laine…we have 2 many losers that cant score…we need Logan m…we need offense it's that aimple

  22. Laine not in tonight's game and had a therapeutic day earlier during practice…..think he's likely injured. He is a powerplay specialist.

  23. People don’t know what kind of a player Laine was and is, he used to be a clutch player and a player with a big heart, look at playoffs games back in the day, when he played in tappara, when he finds his heart to the game again he will be a big impact player for any team.

  24. This rush to throw Laine under the bus is saddening, for the chances are that Laine is injured in a way that effects his game.

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