Player Profile: Patrik Laine

Patrik Laine was born in Tampere, Finland, on April 19^th, 1998. Laine started playing hockey at the age of four for Ilves’ youth program. He then moved to their rival Tappara the following season. In 12 seasons with Tappara, Laine won an SM-liga championship in 2016. While trying to figure out what position he would play, Laine began playing hockey as a goalie. “My dad didn’t leave me any choice,” Laine said.

Laine played one season on loan for Leki of the Finnish Mestis league during the 2014-15 season. Mestis is the second-best league in Finnish hockey. In 36 games during this season, Laine scored five goals and added seven assists as a 16-year-old. To put up these statistics in a men’s league at such a young age was impressive. With all his offensive talent, questions remained about his skating explosiveness and consistency in the offensive zone.

Patrik Laine Drafted 2nd Overall in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft by the Winnipeg Jets

The Winnipeg Jets drafted Laine with the second overall pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft out of Tappara of the Finnish Liiga. Laine is 6’5” and 208 lbs. and possesses one of the most lethal wrist shots in the NHL. One drawback of Laine’s game is that he is not an exceptional skater. In his first season with the Winnipeg Jets during the 2016-17 season, Laine scored 36 goals and added 28 assists in 73 games played.

Making it on the ice is something that has been a challenge for Laine in the recent past. Laine played in only 18 games for the Columbus Blue Jackets during the 2023-24 season. In those 18 games, Laine scored six goals and added three assists. Laine missed much of this season after suffering a broken clavicle. After this, Laine entered the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program, citing his mental health and well-being as a priority.

Patrik Laine Traded to the Montreal Canadiens

The lack of success had by the Jets is one reason that Laine was looking to make a move. “They’re a little too satisfied and too comfortable where they’re at. It wasn’t really a fit for me anymore, said Laine. But here (in Montreal), it doesn’t matter if we’re winning or losing, we’re always trying our best. That’s what I felt about it (in Columbus).” The writing was on the wall for Laine’s time to come to an end in Columbus, Ohio.

Laine was traded to the Montreal Canadiens on August 19^th in exchange for defenseman Jordan Harris. Reports indicated that Laine was looking for a fresh start. I had some ups and downs,” said Laine, who was cleared to return in July. “I don’t want to get into that too much, but some things probably could have been handled better. Some things were great, some things were not so great. But I’m having the time of my life here, so I don’t want to really get into that too much.”

In his first season with the Montreal Canadiens, Laine scored 20 goals and added 13 assists in 52 games played during the 2024-25 season. These 20 goals were the fourth-most of any Canadien during this season. The team made the Stanley Cup playoffs, but in limited playoff action, Laine only had one assist. However, a core muscle injury would end Laine’s 2025-26 season almost immediately after it began.

Patrik Laine Undergoes Core Muscle Surgery

Patrik Laine scored only one goal in five games played for the Montreal Canadiens during the 2025-26 season. He underwent surgery to repair a core muscle injury in October of 2025. Questions have arisen as to whether he could have come back to play for the Canadiens after his surgery. Laine was given a recovery timeline of three to four months from the core muscle surgery. Whether or not he saw his impending free agency as a reason to sit out the rest of the 2025-26 season is up to Laine to answer.

“I probably could have played pretty soon after New Year’s,” Laine said after the Canadiens were defeated in five games by the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final. “I could have come back pretty early, but this is one of those things when you have surgeries and stuff, you don’t always feel 100 percent,” he said. “You don’t want to rush anything and go play too early, and then take a step back and it takes longer. I wanted to be more cautious.”

With a three-to-four-month recovery timeline. He returned to practice in mid-January and became a regular participant later that month but still finished the season on the injured list. Laine is an unrestricted free agent going into the 2026-27 season. At 28-years-old, Laine is looking for one last contract in his NHL career. However, his injury history and his seeming admission that he could have played for the Canadiens before the end of the 2025-26 season have left Laine looking for a team going into training camp.

Can Patrik Laine Return to 40 Goal Form?

Having said this, Patrik Laine has scored 224 goals and added 198 assists in 537 games played during his NHL career. In his second season with the Winnipeg Jets during the 2017-18 season, Laine scored a career-high of 44 goals. Whatever team signs Laine as training camp approaches is getting a player who has scored 30 goals three times during his eight-year career.