Montreal Canadiens winger Patrik Laine will miss the next two to three months while he continues to recover from a sprained left knee, the team announced Tuesday.
Laine suffered the injury Saturday during the first period in his team's 2-1 preseason loss against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Laine was skating into the Leafs' zone when his left knee was part of a knee-on-knee hit with Maple Leafs forward Cedric Pare.
Replays showed Laine's left knee bent backward during the collision and he immediately fell to the ice before appearing to grab that knee. Pare was not assessed a penalty but eventually fought Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj with Xhekaj repeatedly punching Pare in the head. Xhekaj was given a minor penalty and a 10-minute misconduct for instigating, a major penalty for fighting and a game misconduct. On Sunday, the department of player safety announced it fined Xhekaj the maximum amount -- $3,385.42 -- for unsportsmanlike conduct.
On Monday, Laine showed up to the Canadiens' practice where he was on crutches. A day later, the team announced that he would not require surgery as part of his recovery.
Missing Laine for at least the first two months of the season comes after the Canadiens acquired him in a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets in August that sent defenseman Jordan Harris and a 2026 second-round pick in the other direction.
Laine suffered the injury Saturday during the first period in his team's 2-1 preseason loss against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Laine was skating into the Leafs' zone when his left knee was part of a knee-on-knee hit with Maple Leafs forward Cedric Pare.
Replays showed Laine's left knee bent backward during the collision and he immediately fell to the ice before appearing to grab that knee. Pare was not assessed a penalty but eventually fought Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj with Xhekaj repeatedly punching Pare in the head. Xhekaj was given a minor penalty and a 10-minute misconduct for instigating, a major penalty for fighting and a game misconduct. On Sunday, the department of player safety announced it fined Xhekaj the maximum amount -- $3,385.42 -- for unsportsmanlike conduct.
On Monday, Laine showed up to the Canadiens' practice where he was on crutches. A day later, the team announced that he would not require surgery as part of his recovery.
Missing Laine for at least the first two months of the season comes after the Canadiens acquired him in a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets in August that sent defenseman Jordan Harris and a 2026 second-round pick in the other direction.
