Patrik Laine Out Three to Four Months After Undergoing Surgery

For the second year in a row, the Habs will be missing Patrik Laine for a big chunk of the season.  The team announced Saturday that he will miss the next three to four months after undergoing surgery to repair a core muscle injury.

It’s the latest blow in what has been a bit of a tough season for the veteran winger already.  While Laine made it through training camp healthy this time, he was already seeing his role reduced in the five games he’s played in this season.  After starting on a line with Ivan Demidov, he found himself in the bottom six soon after with his five-on-five minutes being capped to that of a fourth-line level.  Meanwhile, he didn’t fare particularly well on the power play, being held without a point although he wasn’t with the top unit as he was last season.

Last season, Laine suffered a knee injury in the preseason.  After going for a second opinion on the injury, it was determined that he could rehab it instead of undergoing surgery, allowing him to get back to the lineup quicker.  He sought a second opinion on this injury but it appears the diagnosis was the same this time, leading to a procedure that may very well keep him out of the lineup until after the Olympic break in February.

In the short term, Joe Veleno’s spot in the lineup looks to be secure after being a healthy scratch while Laine was playing.  Meanwhile, Joshua Roy is the 13th forward at the moment.  It’s possible that the team could shuffle some prospects back and forth from Laval to give a few players a chance (Owen Beck has also been up briefly already).  Alternatively, they could look to add a forward, either via trade or waivers, to give themselves some extra depth.  They’ll have plenty of time now to make that decision.

From a cap perspective, LTIR rules have changed this season.  Because this isn’t a season-ending injury, an LTIR placement wouldn’t give Montreal $8.7 million in cap space but rather just $3.82 million, the value of the NHL average salary this season.  Considering the Habs have more than $3.82 million in cap space at the moment, there’s no need for an LTIR placement unless they get several other injuries or add a player to take them closer to the $95.5 million Upper Limit of the salary cap.