The Montreal Canadiens just announced that Patrik Laine will miss the first 2-3 months of the season, meaning they need a replacement for his production.
Laine was acquired by Montreal from Columbus this summer. The injury news is a welcome surprise to Habs fans who were expecting Laine to miss the entire season. Things looked grim after he was the victim of a knee-on-knee from Leafs forward Cedrik Pare. However, the injury is only a sprained knee and won’t require surgery. Replacing Laine won’t be easy as he remains one of the most talented goal scorers in the NHL. However, the Canadiens do have some options to replace his production until he is ready to return to action.
Patrik Laine Replacements
Oliver Kapanen/ Emil Heineman
Oliver Kapanen has had arguably the best camp and preseason of any Habs forward. Before the Laine injury, he was already forcing the team’s hand with his play. There isn’t a spot available at his natural centre position with Christian Dvorak and Jake Evans in those roles. However, Kapanen can play wing as well, and a position on the wing just happened to open up on the Canadiens second line. Emil Heineman is a natural winger and has also looked promising thus far in camp.
Neither of these guys will start on the second line with Kirby Dach. That spot goes to Alex Newhook and likely Joshua Roy or Joel Armia. However, with one of those guys moving up the lineup, it leaves a spot open for one of Kapanen or Heineman to make the team in a bottom-six role.
Growth of Young Players
While the addition of Patrik Laine was expected to add more goals, there is another way the team can increase their goal totals. The return of Kirby Dach alone will improve the team. Then you add in Lane Hutson, Joshua Roy, and potentially Kapanen and Heineman. This influx of young guys can help ease the load for the Montreal Canadiens.
More established players like Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, Juraj Slafkovsky, and Kaiden Guhle can also help carry the load. Growth and increased production from these players will help the team ease Laine’s loss by committee.
Waiver Wire/Trade
There is a final option for the Habs brass as they can look outside the organization for help. This option is more unlikely with the news that Laine’s season isn’t over as well as the emergence of Kapanen and Heineman. Regardless, we’ve seen a plethora of young guys hit the waiver wire in the past when teams make their final roster cuts. If a young forward who requires a change of scenery were to find himself on the wire, we could see Kent Hughes pounce. The Habs have high priority on the waiver wire so they would have a high chance of obtaining any player they have eyes on.
We could also see a trade for an established player who can fit in long-term. Names like Zegras and Necas have floated around the rumor mill regarding the Canadiens for a while now. While those avenues have likely been exhausted, Hughes could check in again or look to add another name that we aren’t expecting.
The opportunity to add in Laine’s absence is intriguing for Montreal. However, you also don’t want to discourage young guys who have fought for a spot. You also don’t want Patrik Laine to feel like his spot has been taken by a replacement before he has even suited up. The best and most likely route is to hold down the fort by committee in his absence. If the team can have a winning record without Patrik Laine, they may be able to do some serious damage once he returns to action.
Main Photo Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
