The main goal for Canadiens’ Patrik Laine? Catching back up to speed

The Montreal Canadiens announced that forward Patrik Laine would be making his Les Habitants debut Tuesday night when the team hosts the New York Islanders.

The 26-year-old winger was skating on a line with Kirby Dach and Juraj Slafkovsky during the Canadiens’ morning’s practice on Tuesday. Laine was injured during a preseason game against the Toronto Maple Leafs last September. The team later announced Laine would avoid surgery but was expected to miss between two-to-three months.

On Tuesday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Frank Seravalli and former NHL defenseman Colby Cohen discuss Laine’s return and what he needs to do to get back in the swing of things.

Frank Seravalli: What are proper expectations for a guy who has barely played hockey in two seasons?

Colby Cohen: They’re low. I think the rest of this year is about finding his legs. This is a guy who hasn’t played more than 56 games since 2020. He hasn’t played a lot of hockey, he’s coming back from a big injury, he’s playing on a team that isn’t great.

Listen, I think if he can come in and score 15 goals the rest of the way, maybe put up another 15 or 20 assists and get 35 or 40 points out of him, that would be great. But my expectations are this year is about finding your legs, feeling good physically and mentally, and hopefully next year try to get to the level you’ve been.

Frank Seravalli: My whole goal for Laine, and I think a proper goal to set, is not even numbers based: I want to see him enjoy the game again. I want to see some joy for the game. He’s struggled physically, and has been very public about his struggle mentally. I think that would be a big step forward, and the rest will come after that.

You can watch the full segment and the rest of the episode here…