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Montreal Canadiens Already Getting Tired of Patrik Laine? Martin St. Louis Makes a Massive Statement

Originally posted on House of Hockey | By Julien Trekker | Last updated Feb 3, 2025 11:57 AM ET

Could the Montreal Canadiens already be getting tired of Patrik Laine? Head coach Martin St. Louis made a massive statement after a tough loss to the Anaheim Ducks.

With many trade rumors looming for the Canadiens, every game matters for the team. If management believes the team won't make the playoffs, they could be sellers at the trade deadline once again.

Yesterday, the Montreal Canadiens were in Anaheim to face the Ducks, trying to bounce back from four straight losses, but things didn't turn their way and the Habs ended up losing 3-2 against one of the worst teams in the NHL.

The Canadiens took a 2-0 lead in the first period, but completely flattened for the rest of the game, and couldn't stop the Ducks, who scored three straight goals.

The next few games will be crucial for the Canadiens. Captain Nick Suzuki made a massive declaration after the disappointing effort, saying the team must absolutely win their next games:

'Shitty feeling for us and worse for the standings. Other teams are getting ahead of us, we have to find a way to keep winning.'
'We have to come out next game and have our best game of the season. We can't be losing these games and falling back in the standings, so we really have to find a way to win the next two on this road trip.'

This is very disappointing considering the team looked very good in January, but what's even worse was watching that some players didn't seem to care.

Indeed, Patrik Laine didn't make any effort on the ice. Watch for yourself here:

Martin St. Louis was not happy at all and decided to bench Laine for most of the third period.

After the game, St. Louis told reporters that he made that decision because the player wasn't helping the team win.

Here's what he said:

'The effort has to be there. But the brain has to be there, too.'
'It's not a game where they were helping us at one end or the other.'

Laine's skills are obvious, but his level of effort was simply not good enough. He'll need to do better if he wants to earn the trust of his teammates and coaches.

This article first appeared on House of Hockey and was syndicated with permission.

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