Patrik Laine's road to joining the Montreal Canadiens has not been exactly easy.
After having a tough time with the Winnipeg Jets, he requested a trade and ended up with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Unfortunately, his time there was filled with injuries that limited him to just 174 games from 2020 to 2024. He even spent some months in the Player Assistance Program during this period.
In 2024, after a poor 18-game season in Columbus, Laine was sent to the Canadiens in return for Jordan Harris and a 2026 second-round pick.
It was viewed as a win for Montreal, which gets the 2016 second-overall pick an opportunity to find his game once more. Still, the talented right-wing has 388 points, with 208 goals in 480 games.
There were hopes that Laine would reach new heights under head coach Martin St-Louis, and the winger confidently set a personal goal of 40-50 goals this season.
However, an injury in his second pre-season game prevented him from making his anticipated Canadiens debut. He went down with a knee-on-knee hit from Cedric Pare that kept him out to begin the season.
If all that wasn't enough, more bad news has emerged as he nears his return to the ice: Laine recently sold his Columbus condo at a $450,000 loss.
Originally purchased in 2022 for $2.475 million, the 4,031-square-foot property was listed for $2.75 million but sold for $2.3 million.
While Laine's estimated career earnings of $49.475 million soften the financial blow, it's an unwelcome setback amid his struggles.
After years of adversity, Laine deserves a fresh start and some good luck in Montreal. Fans are very eager for his return which they hope can happen sometime in December if all goes well.
POLL | ||
Will Patrik Laine score at least 20 goals this season once he hopefully returns in December? | ||
Yes | 58 | 47.9 % |
No | 63 | 52.1 % |
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