In Montreal, they may be looking for a replacement for the Finn.
Montreal has played well without Patrik Laine, but the club may still react to the Finn’s absence with a player trade. AOP / USA TODAY SPORTS
Patrik Laine the injury could lead to a player trade, warns an NHL expert Jeff Marek.
The Finn’s season was cut short due to a muscle injury, which was operated on the other week in New York.
The absence forecast is three to four months, so Laine’s return will have to wait well into next year.
On the Sekeres & Price podcast visited Marek predicts that the Canadiens will at least try to get reinforcements in their offensive department.
He names Steven Stamkos as a potential candidate.
– I can imagine that the Canucks and Canadiens, now that Patrik Laine is out, with Stamkos.
The Canadian star, who started the season very slowly (13 matches, 1+1), plays with an eight million dollar contract. Marek talks about Stamkos as a four million dollar player, because the salary would have already run for a long time at the time of the transfer.
Stamkos’s current mood is weak and he is 35 years old, but the man has good qualities. Marek reminds us in the program that before the transfer to Nashville, the net swung 40 times in Tampa’s ranks in the 2023–24 season.
In the Canadiens, Stamkos would get his former chain mate as his coach Martin of St. Louis. The men simultaneously played for the Tampa Bay Lightning for nearly six seasons.
The Montreal Canadiens’ season has started well, as the club is in first place in the NHL’s Eastern Conference after 12 games.
Steven Stamkos is rumored to be in Montreal. AOP / USA TODAY SPORTS