Laine welcoming opportunity to be part of 'something special' with Canadiens

LAVAL-SUR-LE-LAC, Quebec -- Patrik Laine is looking forward to his opportunity to help the Montreal Canadiens take the next step in their quest to return to Stanley Cup Playoff contention.

Laine was acquired in a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets on Aug. 19. He had nine points (six goals, three assists) in 18 games last season but last played Dec. 14 because of a broken clavicle, on which he had surgery.

He then began receiving care from the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program on Jan. 28. He was cleared from the program July 26.

"It's not a secret that the last couple of years have been a little tough but I think it's great to get this new opportunity with this team and that's something I was hoping for," Laine said at the Canadiens' golf tournament Monday. "Obviously I got the chance to come here and I was super excited right away when I got the call. I feel like they're building something special here so I'm happy to be a part of it."

The Canadiens have finished last in the Atlantic Division each of the past three seasons. Last season they were 30-36-16, 15 points behind the Washington Capitals for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference. But their 76 points in the standings was a jump from the 68 (31-45-6) they had in 2022-23.

"I feel like there's no better place to play in terms of a hockey market, so I'm super excited obviously to be here and finally to have these fans be on my side for once," Laine said. "You know it's not fun to come here as a visitor, that's for sure. I'm just super excited to be here and obviously getting to play at one of the greatest rinks in hockey and in front of probably the best fans in the world. So it should be great."

Selected by the Winnipeg Jets with the No. 2 pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, Laine has 388 points (204 goals, 184 assists) in 480 NHL games with the Jets and Blue Jackets. He scored an NHL career-high 44 goals with the Jets in 2017-18 after scoring 36 as a rookie in 2016-17.

"He's got the potential but he's not here to be a savior for us either," Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes said. "We have to acknowledge what it is, he came out of a difficult season and a difficult situation in his own personal life, and we hope that he comes here and we give him a good environment to enjoying the game."

While Laine is the most significant addition, forward Kirby Dach's return from a season-ending knee injury sustained in Montreal's second game last season should provide a substantial boost to a top six that features the top line of Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky, the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft.

"It was a long year last year and I feel good health-wise," Dach said. "Body-wise it felt like I was ready to play games at the end of last year even if I wasn't really medically cleared to. I had a good summer and I'm just kind of coming into camp trying to almost re-prove myself or show that I can be an impact player on this team and hopefully help us win some games and get into meaningful games down the stretch."

Defensemen Jordan Harris (Columbus) and Johnathan Kovacevic (New Jersey Devils) were traded to help make room for potentially one of their top defenseman prospects, Lane Hutson, Logan Mailloux, David Reinbacher and Adam Engstrom.

Hutson, who played his first two NHL games last season, stood out during the Canadiens' two rookie tournament games against Toronto Maple Leafs prospects last weekend.

"He reminds me a lot of [Vancouver Canucks defenseman] Quinn Hughes," Suzuki said. "Just the way he skates, walks the blue line. Obviously Quinn's an amazing player and I'm sure Lane wants to be something like him. So it's impressive. He makes a lot of really nice plays, he sees the ice really well, so we'll see how he does at camp."

Hutson and Mailloux will be in the mix in what figures to be a tough competition for spots on a defense group that includes Mike Matheson, David Savard, Kaiden Guhle, Arber Xhekaj, Justin Barron and Jayden Struble.

"We have a lot of good young players," Canadiens executive vice president of hockey operations Jeff Gorton said. "We have a lot of players here so I think the competition for spots should be better now. We're increasing our talent pool."