Habs F Patrik Laine on upcoming debut: 'It will be great'

Montreal Canadiens forward Patrik Laine was activated from injured reserve and will make his season debut on Tuesday against the visiting New York Islanders.

Laine has been sidelined with a sprained left knee sustained in a preseason game against Toronto on Sept. 28. He skated on a line with Kirby Dach and former top overall draft pick Juraj Slafkovsky at the morning skate.

"I was kind of hoping I could start playing at home," Laine said. "I probably could have played last week but I wanted to get some more practices in and make sure I'm ready to go when I'm finally playing, but it will be cool to obviously start playing here. I've been watching too many games upstairs now, so I'm sure it will be great."

The Canadiens acquired Laine in August from the Columbus Blue Jackets for defenseman Jordan Harris and a second-round pick in 2026.

Laine, 26, scored 20 or more goals six times in his first eight NHL seasons. He spent four-plus seasons with the Winnipeg Jets and the last 3 1/2 with the Blue Jackets.

He was limited to 18 games with Columbus last season due to injuries and personal reasons, finishing with nine points (six goals, three assists).

Laine sustained an early-season concussion and later broke his left clavicle in mid-December 2023. In late January, he entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program for undisclosed reasons and missed the remainder of the season.

Laine has recorded 388 points (204 goals, 184 assists) in 480 games between Winnipeg and Columbus. He was the second overall pick by Winnipeg in the 2016 NHL Draft.

--Field Level Media