Patrik Laine returned to the Canadiens practice in a non-contact jersey on Wednesday for the first time. Laine sustained an injury in the preseason which was projected to keep him out for 2-3 months. That timeline would have him returning in December-January. However, Laine has been progressing well and his timeline may be accelerated to see a late November-early December return to action. The Canadiens won’t rush Laine back until he’s 100 percent, however. With Laine’s return on the horizon, how does this affect the Montreal Canadiens lineup?
Who loses their spot when Laine returns?
With the return of Laine, the Canadiens will need to remove someone from their roster. The likely candidate is Lucas Condotta. Condotta has been playing well in the fourth-line center role but is better suited as an AHL player. This means that Jake Evans or Christian Dvorak will be slotting back into the fourth-line role while Newhook or Dach have to transition back to centre. Michael Pezzetta is another candidate to be sent down, but he is better suited as the thirteenth forward on the Canadiens rather than taking a role away from a young player in the AHL.
The other candidate to be sent down upon Laine’s return would be Emil Heineman. He is still on his entry-level deal and is therefore waiver-exempt. While this scenario is more unlikely, it would allow for Heineman to get bigger minutes on a dominant Laval Rocket team. Heineman may be sent down either way if the Canadiens choose to recall Alex Barre-Boulet or Joshua Roy. It’s also worth noting that Rafael Harvey-Pinard is on a conditioning stint in Laval and is also likely to see NHL time this season after serving time in the minors following injury.
Projected lines with Laine
Caufield-Suzuki-Slafkovsky
Laine-Dach-Newhook
Anderson-Dvorak-Gallagher
Heineman-Evans-Armia
Laine’s return forces Kirby Dach back into the second-line centre role. Jake Evans, while he has performed well higher in the lineup, is more suited as a fourth-line centreman. If Dach remained on the top line, Cole Caufield and Laine would be between Alex Newhook or Evans. Having your two best goal scorers between two centremen who are better suited for bottom-six roles isn’t ideal.
We know that the top line of Caufield, Suzuki, and Slafkovsky has worked in the past. The Dvorak line has also been a bright spot in recent games so there’s no reason to break up that trio. Laine, Dach, and Newhook were slotted together to start the regular season before Laine’s injury. While they didn’t show immediate chemistry, they only were together for about 90 minutes. This combination allows the Canadiens to roll out their most balanced possible lineup. Laine’s return will enable the players to be slotted back into more suitable roles and should finally give the team offensive threats on multiple lines.
How Laine Impacts the Canadiens roster
Patrik Laine’s arrival greatly improves this team’s offence. While he may not be an instant difference maker statistically, he improves the offence regardless. He allows the Canadiens to have a much more balanced lineup and powerplay units. He makes the team harder to match up against due to them having a true scoring threat on the second line. It’s unclear where he will fit into Martin St. Louis‘ powerplay plans, but even if he is on the secondary unit, Laine would give Lane Hutson a legitimate passing option. Hutson has been carrying the load on the team’s second unit but Patrik Laine would instantly make that group a lot more dangerous.
Canadiens Patrik Laine return gives both the Canadiens and their fans a much-needed morale boost. His return will come with lots of anticipation and his impact on this roster goes far beyond the scoresheet.
Main Photo: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
