Habs forward Patrik Laine suffered a knee injury on Saturday night during the opening quarter of their preseason game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Initially, there were concerns that his injury might require surgery, but it wasn’t until Tuesday that its final assessment revealed otherwise.
The official social media handle of the Montreal Canadiens issued a statement regarding the nature and estimated recovery period for Laine's injury. The player is expected to be back on the rink without needing a surgery.
“Forward Patrik Laine sustained a sprain to his left knee that will not require surgery. His rehabilitation period is expected to be from two to three months,” the official Instagram account for the Montreal Canadiens posted.
Patrik Laine's fiancee Jordan Leigh was quick to react to the news. She reposted it on her Instagram story and added the caption:
“A real life miracle. Thank you for all the support and messages everyone!!”
Patrik Laine also shared a story on his own Instagram account. He posted a picture of himself on crutches standing in an airfield, writing,
“Thank you everyone for the love. 92 will be back”
On Saturday night, Patrik Laine had a knee-on-knee collision with Maple Leafs forward Cedric Pare. Laine immediately had to be helped off the ice as he couldn’t put any weight on his left foot.
Former NHLer P.K. Shubban criticizes Cedric Pare’s play that led to Patrik Laine’s injury
ESPN analyst and former Montreal Canadiens player P.K. Shubban spoke out openly against the play that resulted in Laine’s injury. Subban posted a video on his X account, where he criticized Pare, saying his play reflected a lack of respect among players.
He insisted that in a professional league like the NHL, star players deserve protection not only because of their on-ice contributions but also because fans pay to watch them.
“I'm not talking about babying the superstars and treating, no, no. You saw Pastrnak, you saw Tkachuk going at it in the playoffs. These guys are tough, but we gotta respect them. There can't be any cheapshots on our superstar," he said.
"I'm sorry, not by a guy that people aren’t… Cedric Pare, I didn't go to the game last night to watch him play. you know. I’m paying admission to watch Patrik Laine play, not him,” Subban added.
Subban argued that while hockey is a physical sport, injuries like Laine’s shouldn’t be tolerated, as they risk sidelining key players.