Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
The Montreal Canadiens had a shot to come out of the gate strongly and put themselves in a competitive position in the difficult Atlantic Division. We thought that, with the addition of sniper Patrik Laine, they might just turn that corner and be a playoff threat. But now, after 23 regular-season games, and without Laine in the lineup due to injury, the Canadiens are sitting at the bottom of the Atlantic with an 8-12-3 record – the third-worst mark in the entire league.
Laine has missed all of Montreal’s games this year, but he’s now on the verge of returning – and while his presence will undoubtedly make the Habs better, it’s more or less too late for Laine to help the Canadiens salvage their season.
To be fair, Montreal can technically still nudge themselves into the fringes of wild card contention. They’re only six points behind the Philadelphia Flyers for the final wild-card berth, so a significant win streak for the Habs could vault them near that final wild-card spot. The problem with that scenario is the seven teams that are currently ahead of them in the Eastern Conference. With that said, it’s going to take a minor miracle for the Canadiens to somehow navigate their way past the Ottawa Senators, Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Islanders, Detroit Red Wings, Columbus Blue Jackets, Buffalo Sabres and Boston Bruins to challenge the Flyers for that wild-card slot.
It should be thrilling for Montreal fans to see Laine back in action and giving the Habs the type of veteran star power they’ve been lacking since Canadiens management embarked on a full roster rebuild a couple of years ago. Montreal GM Kent Hughes has methodically gone about completely starting from scratch and building his team around a core of young players, but the arrival of Laine has signalled a new stage in the Canadiens’ rebuild.
Laine’s return doesn’t really change expectations for this Habs team. A playoff spot is more or less a bridge too far for Montreal right now, but if Laine comes into the lineup, stays healthy, and scores 25-30 goals the rest of the way this season, his acquisition will be seen as a positive step forward for the organization. If that goal total helps lead the Canadiens to more wins than they ultimately would’ve had without Laine, his addition will be regarded as a win for Habs brass.
Unfortunately, after one-quarter of the season, the Habs have dug themselves too deep a hole to climb out of the rest of the way this year. It’s well-known that, while you can’t win a Stanley Cup at the start of the season, you can play your way out of contention for a Cup, and that’s where the Canadiens are at this point.
Laine may well prove to be a core component of Montreal’s blueprint for success in the long term, but his injury this year is one of the reasons why the Habs are where they are. And where they are is at the bottom of a crater of their own making. Crawling out of it is possible, but a playoff spot probably is next to impossible, with or without Laine.
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