Patrik Laine: Maxime Talbot doesn’t want him at camp

“Culture at all costs is important to me. I don’t think he’s a culture model, Patrik Laine […] I haven’t often shared a locker room with guys I wasn’t sure about […] If I were in Kent Hughes’ shoes, I wouldn’t give him the chance to come back to practice camp. ” – Maxime Talbot

The guy will earn $9.1 million next season, the last of his contract with the Canadiens..

His effort and work ethic are constantly being questioned..

He finished the season at minus-14 (after seasons of minus-29, minus-7, minus-12 and minus-10)… and didn’t score a goal in the playoffs, before being sidelined (with a finger injury?).

Yesterday, I suggested to Georges Laraque and Stéphane Gonzalez that the Habs’ first line would remain intact next season, before asking them who would play with Ivan Demidov on the second line. They both answered a center to acquire and Kirby Dach.

If Laine doesn’t contribute anything positive to your club’s culture, is no longer on the first power play and vacillates between your bottom six and the press gallery, why keep him on your team?

The answer is simple: because other teams all see the same things you do. The salary cap may have gone up, but I don’t see any other GM taking a chance on Patrik Laine.

That leaves the option of offering a first-round pick to another team to take him, buying out his contract or questioning his health and sending him to Robidas Island.

Unfortunately, these are all options that are difficult or very costly to implement.

Maxime Talbot is right: in an ideal world, Patrik Laine wouldn’t be with the club at camp in September..

But life isn’t always ideal. We seem to be stuck with Laine.

overtime

– Of note.

– Helping his case.

– Coming up.