Cowan: Canadiens buzz is back as players, fans raise bar for coming season
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That's something I heard from Canadiens fans everywhere I went during my summer vacation.
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It has been a very long time since I remember Montreal fans being so excited about the team — and it's with good reason.
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There was an excitement level last season after GM Kent Hughes acquired Patrik Laine in an August trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets. But that buzz faded when Laine suffered a knee injury during the pre-season that sidelined him for the first 24 games, during which the team posted an 8-13-3 record.
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Laine provided a big spark when he returned to the lineup, scoring eight goals in his first nine games, with the team going 6-3 during that span. Laine's production fell off after that — especially at five-on-five — but he still finished the season with 20 goals in 52 games, with 15 of them coming on the power play. As Hughes correctly stated at the end of the season, the Canadiens would not have made the playoffs for the first time in four years without Laine.
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'My kind of only goal that I had for myself this year was to really enjoy playing again,' Laine said after missing the last three games of the first-round playoff loss to the Washington Capitals with a broken finger. 'I definitely did that, even though it was hard at times. I still enjoyed every bit of it. So for me, individually, people are always going to talk about numbers and all that, but for me it was a success that I got to enjoy this awesome sport again.'
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Laine regaining his love for hockey could be huge for the Canadiens. He had thoughts about retiring when he entered the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program for mental-health reasons after playing only 18 games with the Blue Jackets during the 2023-24 season and suffering a broken clavicle.
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Life seems to be very good now for Laine.
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In June, he got married to Jordan Smith in Palm Beach, Fla., and they honeymooned in Italy. Since then, Laine has spent most of the summer in Montreal and, in an interview with Finnish journalist Ville Touru, said he has been on the ice almost every day since the start of July. Laine said last year he was only able to train for about three weeks during the summer after recovering from surgery on his broken clavicle. The fact the 27-year-old is heading into the final season of his contract with an $8.7 million salary-cap hit should provide added motivation.
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