Patrik Laine had his struggles while playing with the Columbus Blue Jackets, but there should be no doubt that he’s an incredibly talented player, who can still record top numbers in the NHL.
It was a huge move this summer when the Montreal Canadiens acquired the Finnish forward from the Blue Jackets, and during this pre-season, Laine has been given a lot of playing time, and he’s been performing well. But now, there are questions about how much Laine will be able to play during the upcoming season after an injury scare this weekend.
During a pre-season game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Laine went down after a knee-on-knee contact with Leafs rookie Cedric Pare. The 25-year-old center has never played an NHL game for the Maple Leafs and collided with Laine as he attempted to stop him from crossing the blue line. Laine immediately went down and started clutching his injured knee.
Laine needed assistance to get to the locker room, and on his way there, he could be seen throwing his gear in frustration, and it certainly didn’t seem good for him.
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P.K. Subban, a former defenseman for the Montreal Canadiens, was in attendance during the game where Laine was injured, and he was not impressed with Cedric Pare’s behavior.
”Cedric Pare, I didn’t go to the game last night to watch him play,” said Subban in a video posted on social media. ”I’m paying admission to watch Patrik Laine play, not him.”
Subban not only called out Pare but also the entire NHL for not protecting its superstars.
”Patrik Laine deserves a lot more respect than the way he was treated last night,” Subban said. ”That should have never happened. Where is the respect for Patrik Laine? Where is the respect for superstars playing in the National Hockey League? I don’t see it.
”There can’t be any cheap shot on our superstars.”
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Subban was also disappointed that Pare didn’t answer the bell when Arber Xhekaj went after him after the collision.
”Cedric, you’ve got to fight. You can’t walk away. Poor Arber Xhekaj doesn’t know what to do,” he said.
