The Montreal Canadiens have received some good news, announcing today that Patrik Laine’s injury is less severe than initially feared, thanks to additional protective gear.
Instead of the expected 5-6 months recovery time, Laine will be sidelined for only 2-3 months. Many fans were worried he might miss the entire season after footage of the incident circulated online, but fortunately, that’s not the case.
Canadiens supporters were understandably heartbroken when Laine fell, especially considering his history of injuries. He is often regarded as one of the unluckiest players in the NHL. Even head coach Martin St. Louis expressed his concern when addressing Laine’s injury.
The reason for Laine’s fortunate outcome this time is that he was wearing a knee brace on his left knee during the preseason game against Toronto. This brace likely provided support during the impact, resulting in only a sprain when he could have sustained a more serious tear of his ACL or MCL. Moving forward, it’s possible he may opt to wear such braces in all future games to help prevent further injuries.
Laine took to social media today to thank fans for their support and assured them that he will return to the ice for the Canadiens this season. The team also shared his message on their X account.
With any luck, Laine will be back on the ice soon, and since he appears to have narrowly avoided a more serious injury, we shouldn’t set our expectations too high for him. If he returns on schedule, he might be able to contribute to the team’s efforts in climbing the standings and potentially vying for a playoff spot. For now, we’ll just have to wait and see how things unfold.
