“The Canadiens are better off without Patrik Laine”: Antoine Roussel is right

Dose
Crédit: Screenshot / X

Patrik Laine spent the summer saying he was ready for the 2025-2026 season and wanted to stay in Montreal.

But in the end, he didn’t have a great camp, he didn’t start the season well, he got injured… and now, more than ever, his chances of staying in Montreal are slim.

In short, things changed quickly.

What we noticed was that he was having trouble fitting into the identity of the Canadiens. His talent was coming out of his ears, but he was too lazy and slow on the ice.

In short, he didn’t belong on a top-6 team, and he didn’t get a lot of minutes on the club’s bottom two.

Since he didn’t even belong on the first powerplay, and the club’s overall powerplay has been better (not to say elite) since the changes, it’s clear that nobody misses Laine.

And that’s what made Antoine Roussel say that the Canadiens, unfortunately for #92, are better off without Patrik Laine.

It’s a shocking sentence, but it’s reality. No one could write such a sentence with Kaiden Guhle without seeing his reputation tarnished.

But with Laine, it’s different. After all, the performances aren’t up to scratch.

At this point, in the best of all possible worlds, the Canadiens must be hoping that his return, sometime in 2026, will have an incredible effect on the Finn and whip him into shape.

That said, in the past, nothing has really whipped Laine. I don’t see why it would be any different this season… even if he is in an end-of-contract situation.

overtime

– Changes in New York?

– Of note.

– Former roommates gossip every day.

– He’s strong.