Patrik Laine left the preseason game between the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs with an apparent leg injury Saturday. The Canadiens announced he would not return.
The forward was injured in a knee-on-knee collision with Toronto forward Cedric Pare at 3:49 of the first period at Bell Centre in Montreal.
Laine was the key offseason addition by the Canadiens, who have finished last in the Atlantic Division each of the past three seasons, going 30-36-16 last season. The 26-year-old forward was acquired in a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets on Aug. 19.
Laine suffered a broken clavicle last season and played just 18 games, the last on Dec. 14. He had nine points (six goals, three assists). Laine began receiving care from the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program on Jan. 28 and was cleared from the program on July 26.
He wore a knee brace on the bench at practice Monday, but the Canadiens have yet to provide an update on his condition.
“The No. 1 job we had to do with Patty is make him excited to come to the rink, and he was,” coach Martin St. Louis said Monday. “And it’s not just my job, it’s the group, you know? And what I’m really proud about the group -- and I know, obviously there’s a show called “The Rebuild” -- when you’re building a house, the house could look really nice, but is it a home? And I feel like seeing Patty coming in like that makes me feel like we’re building a home, not just a house. So, I think it stings a little more because I feel he was excited to come to the rink.”
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, and 16 points (eight goals, eight assists) in 24 Stanley Cup Playoff games. He scored an NHL career-high 44 goals with the Jets in 2017-18 after scoring 36 as a rookie in 2016-17. Laine is a six-time 20-goal scorer, most recently with 22 goals in 2022-23, but because of injuries and other issues has played 129 of 246 games the past three seasons (52.4 percent).
Canadiens defenseman prospect David Reinbacher also left the game Saturday shortly after the opening face-off following a hit along the boards by Toronto's Marshall Rifai. He had to be helped to the dressing room after going to the bench. The 19-year-old was selected by Montreal with the No. 5 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft.
NHL.com independent correspondent Sean Farrell contributed to this report
