Canadiens’ Laine says he had green light to play, excited for ‘new opportunities’

BROSSARD — Patrik Laine spent the last four months regularly skating with the Montreal Canadiens without seeing game action.

Turns out he might have been available all along.

“I probably could have played pretty soon after New Year’s,” Laine said Monday as players cleaned out lockers following a five-game defeat to the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference final.

The sharpshooting Finnish winger was limited to just five games this season after undergoing core-muscle surgery in late October with a three-to-four month recovery timeline. He returned to practice in mid-January and became a regular participant later that month, but still finished the season on the injured list.

“I could have come back pretty early, but this is one of those things when you have surgeries and stuff, you don’t always feel 100 per cent,” he said. “You don’t want to rush anything and go play too early, and then take a step back and it takes longer. I wanted to be more cautious.”

Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes said Laine’s lengthy absence complicated a potential return.

“He was so behind since he didn’t play, and we were put in a situation where we absolutely had to win,” said Hughes, who told reporters at the trade deadline that he’d worked with Laine’s agent to find solutions. “It made his situation difficult.”

Laine said he eventually received the green light from the Canadiens’ medical staff, although he couldn’t remember exactly when.

“It’s one of those things. I’ll just leave it at that,” he said of return-to-play discussions. “I kind of figured early on that I probably wasn’t going to be playing since I’ve been out for four or five months and guys are battling for a playoff spot, and all the guys are playing great.

“Figured that I probably won’t be playing.”

Laine arrived in Montreal via trade from Columbus in August 2024 after spending months in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program for mental health reasons and recovering from shoulder surgery.

Injury problems persisted with the Canadiens — he also hurt his knee that September — but the 28-year-old said playing in Montreal helped rekindle his love for the game. The former 44-goal man scored 20 times in 52 games during the 2024-25 season, doing most of his damage on the power play.

Now a pending unrestricted free agent with his US$8.7 million salary cap hit set to expire, Laine knows he’s probably looking at a new address next season after spending so much time in the Bell Centre press box.

“I’m excited to see new opportunities and see where it goes,” he said. “We’ll see where the wind takes me.”

A former second-overall draft pick who hasn’t topped 30 goals since his third season, Laine remains confident his NHL journey is far from done.

“I’ll be playing in this league for a long time. That’s not a question. That’s never something I’ve doubted,” he said. “I just kind of need an opportunity. Great shape, feel good. Still got a lot of time before next season, so that’s definitely something I’m not worried about.”

WHAT’S NEXT FOR MONTY?

While Laine appears headed elsewhere, netminder Sam Montembeault isn’t certain what the future holds after Jakub Dobes and Jacob Fowler took over in the crease.

The 29-year-old Montembeault began the season as Montreal’s No. 1 goaltender but struggled to a .872 save percentage and 3.43 goals-against average just one year after representing Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Montembeault, also a key figure in Montreal’s surprising 2025 playoff berth, has one year remaining on a contract carrying a US$3.15-million cap hit.

“Just with our team, the expectations were bigger this year; we had the Olympics, too. All of that was on my mind,” he said. “I’m still under contract for a year. I’m not the one making the decisions. What’s important for me now is to have a good summer and be ready for next season.”

COLD CAUFIELD

Cole Caufield didn’t beat around the bush when evaluating his playoff performance.

“Honestly, I sucked,” Caufield said. “That’s just plain and simple.”

After scoring 51 times in the regular season — becoming the first Canadien to reach the half-century mark since 1990 — Caufield had nine goals in 19 playoff games. Just two came at even strength, an area where linemates Nick Suzuki and Juraj Slafkovsky also struggled to generate offence.

“Want to be a lot better. I expect a lot more out of myself, and my teammates and coaches do, too,” Caufield said. “There’s a lot more out there. Nowhere near satisfied with how that went.

“There’s a long way to go.”

Asked about his top line’s troubles, Hughes pointed to former Toronto Maple Leafs star Mitch Marner, who is playing for this year’s Stanley Cup with the Vegas Golden Knights.

“Being here in Canada, it’s going to be a little bit of the narrative going into the Cup final that there was that belief certain players in Toronto underperformed in the playoffs, and one playoff season wouldn’t necessarily reflect another,” he said. “I think Mitch Marner is sitting at the top of the playoff scoring race.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 1, 2026.

Daniel Rainbird, The Canadian Press