Patrik Laine Exits Game Due to Injury after Collision During Preseason Match

Forward Patrik Laine exited a preseason game between the Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs with an apparent leg injury, as reported during the match on Saturday. The incident occurred following a knee-on-knee collision with Toronto forward Cedric Pare at 3:49 of the first period at Bell Centre in Montreal. Following the collision, the Canadiens announced that Laine would not return to the game.

Laine, who was a significant offseason acquisition for the Canadiens, faced this injury challenge after being traded from the Columbus Blue Jackets on August 19. The forward previously suffered a broken clavicle last season, limiting his participation to just 18 games, where he managed nine points from six goals and three assists. He was also involved in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program early this year.

Montreal’s head coach, Martin St. Louis, provided no immediate update on Laine’s condition post-game but expressed hope about his recovery. “If you know you can get him back to his own standards, it’s pretty exciting,” St. Louis stated. “And I feel we’ve done a good job of bringing him in, and he’s started to feel more comfortable, so it’s hard to see him go down like that today. And hopefully, it’s not too serious.”

Drafted by the Winnipeg Jets as their second pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, Laine established himself with 388 points from 204 goals and 184 assists over 480 NHL games with the Jets and Blue Jackets. Laine’s previous notable season was in 2017-18, when he scored an NHL career-high 44 goals.

Alongside Laine, Canadiens defenseman prospect David Reinbacher also faced an injury during the same game. Reinbacher left the ice following a hit from Toronto player Marshall Rifai. This event marked another preseason challenge for the 19-year-old, selected fifth overall by Montreal in the 2023 NHL Draft. Similar to Laine, Reinbacher was aided off the ice, injured in his left knee.