Patrik Laine has clearly given up

Sometimes, things just don’t make sense.

After claiming to be in the best shape of his life, Patrik Laine recorded one assist in five games to start the season… and hasn't been seen in a game since.

The tall Finn played his last game on October 16 against the Predators, then underwent surgery a few days later for a sports hernia. On October 25, the Canadiens officially told us that Laine would be out for three to four months before returning to action; that would put him back on the ice sometime between January 25 and February 25. In short, just before or just after the Olympic break…

Laine has been training on his own since early January… and he's been with the team since January 16. Wearing a regular jersey!

Do the math however you like, but it's been nine weeks today that Patrik Laine has been training with—and like—the regulars. Kirby Dach has had time to return to the ice, play 17 games—even with the Olympic break—and get injured again during those nine weeks, and Laine is still at the same point: training with his teammates…

Officially, Patrik Laine's name is still on the injured list; he's waiting for the green light from doctors and therapists.

Unofficially, however, it seems likely that the club and Laine's agent have reached an agreement so that they can continue to say Laine is injured, without him causing a stir.

On February 24, Martin St-Louis used Patrik Laine as a defenseman in practice…

On March 13, Laine only took a few shifts during practice, all at center…

On Wednesday, he watched all his teammates practice the power play and penalty kill without ever getting a single shift on the power play…

Yesterday afternoon, Martin St-Louis replied with a curt “no” to the question: “Is Patrik Laine an option for tonight?”

Laine's last goal dates back to April 6, 2025, and everything points to him reaching the milestone of going an entire year without finding the back of the net.

Don't you think this farce has gone on long enough? Don't tell me it might be Laine who doesn't feel ready to play, because if that were the case, his girlfriend wouldn't have bothered to demand playing time for her boyfriend on Instagram.

The decision not to play Laine comes directly—and solely—from Martin St-Louis, I was told again this week. The coach still preferred to use million-dollar guys like Joe Veleno, Zachary Bolduc, and Alexandre Texier over Patrik Laine (and his astronomical salary)…

How do you even keep him on the injured list in the first place? Maybe they're judging that he's not in “perfect mental health”? Yet, the reason for his absence is still listed as “abdominal” in official reports.