Canadiens Get Bad News on Patrik Laine's Injury

Laine has played five games so far this season and has tallied only one assist over that span and is also a -3. But now with Laine out for the next three to four months, head coach Martin St. Louis will have to his best shuffling his lineup around.

Laine is used to playing in the top-six of the Canadiens' lineup, and he is also used to playing on the powerplay, whether that be the first or second unit. But with him being out for quite some time, he will be quite missed by St. Louis and company.

St. Louis will have to do his best finding someone to replace Laine's role

Laine is not a player that is easily replaceable in an NHL lineup. He is someone that thrives when he is on the ice and when he decides to shoot the puck, he presents quite a challenge for opposing teams. He arguably has one of the best wrist shots in the league today.

So finding someone to replace him and the role that he would play on the ice, will be quite a task. The Canadiens already have players like Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, Juraj Slafkovsky, Ivan Demidov, and Alex Newhook among others playing in the top six and on powerplay units.

Finding one more forward that either can be a staple in their top-six and on either one of their powerplay units or be a rotation of players to see who fits best, is a must for St. Louis. It will not be an easy thing to do, as St. Louis has a lot of players that he can choose from to play Laine's role but little time to figure it out.

Once Laine returns from his injury after he rehabs and fully heals from his surgery, he will have to be re-inserted into the lineup and force somebody to the press box or back to the AHL. These are tough decisions that St. Louis is going to have to make on the fly and will not have much time to think about it.

But for the Canadiens, they will have to find a way to navigate and win games without Laine. If anybody is up to the task, it's St. Louis and company.