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5 Things to Know About New Canadiens Forward Patrik Laine

ryan gagne
·4 min read

The Montreal Canadiens acquired former 40-goal scorer Patrik Laine from the Columbus Blue Jackets in a trade on August 19. The 26-year-old is approaching 500 games in the NHL, with 204 goals and 388 points in 480 contests.

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Initially drafted second overall by the Winnipeg Jets in 2016, the Finnish-born right-winger is about to begin his ninth season in the league.

Here are five things to know about the Canadiens' newest acquisition.

Laine is a Highly Decorated Finnish Hockey Star

Laine's NHL accomplishments include being named to the All-Rookie Team (2017), skating in the 2017 All-Star Game, and being a Calder Trophy finalist.

In Finland, he was named Finnish Player of the Year (2016) and won the Jari Kurri Award as the Liiga's Best Player in the Playoffs while taking home Rookie of the Year honors.

At the World Junior Championships, Laine won a silver medal at the U18 level and gold at the U20 level. He was also named the Top 3 Player on Team and led each tournament in goals.

During his only appearance at the World Championships (2016), Laine won the Most Valuable Player and Best Forward awards, was named to the tournament's All-Star team, and captured a silver medal.

One of Four Finnish Players With a 40-goal Season in the NHL

Kurri, the first Finnish-born skater to score 40 goals in the NHL, achieved the feat for the first time in 1982-83. Only three other Finnish players, Teemu Selanne, Mikko Rantanen, and Laine, have reached the 40-goal plateau in four decades since that historic moment.

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At just 19 years old, Laine scored 44 goals as a member of the Jets in 2017-18 to finish second in league scoring behind Alex Ovechkin (49). Although he didn't win the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy, he did lead the NHL in power play goals with 20.

As of 2024, Laine is the youngest Finnish player (19) to score 40 goals while holding the country's record for being the only 18-year-old to tally 30 goals. He achieved this feat in 2016-17, finishing his rookie campaign with 36.

Laine is From Tampere, Finland, Same City as Aleksander Barkov

Tampere is the third largest city in Finland, with a population of just over 255,000 people. Thus far, 52 players from Tampere have been drafted into the NHL, with 31 making it into the league.

Apr 19, 2021; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov (16) and Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Patrik Laine (29) chase a loose puck during the second period at BB&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images
Apr 19, 2021; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov (16) and Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Patrik Laine (29) chase a loose puck during the second period at BB&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

Some big names from an era gone by hail from Tampere, including Teppo Numminen, Vesa Toskala, and Jyrki Lumme. However, the community's biggest name must be Aleksander Barkov, the first Finnish-born captain of a Stanley Cup-winning team.

Ahead of the 2024-25 season, Barkov is the active leading scorer from Finland with 711 points, while Laine ranks sixth with 388.

Once Traded for Quebec Native Pierre-Luc Dubois

Laine began his career with the Jets, who selected him second overall behind Auston Matthews in the 2016 Draft. He skated in Manitoba for five seasons, scoring 140 goals and 250 points in 306 games.

Eventually, a change of scenery was necessary, and the Jets dealt him to the Columbus Blue Jackets in January 2021. In the exchange, Winnipeg packaged their star right winger with Jack Roslovic for a third-round pick in 2022 and Pierre-Luc Dubois.

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Dubois is from Ste-Agathe-Des-Monts, QC, and was drafted one spot behind Laine and Matthews. The Canadiens didn't move up to select the local kid at the 2016 Draft, opting for Mikhail Sergachev instead at ninth overall.

No matter how things turned out, there's always chatter about whether or not Montreal made the right call on Dubois, who will be forever linked to Laine through a 2021 trade.

Wore No. 29 From Age 15 Until Trade to Montreal

Laine has worn No. 29 throughout his NHL career and had to switch his sweater number upon his arrival in Montreal since that jersey hangs at the Bell Centre for Ken Dryden. Instead, he swapped the digits and will sport No. 92 in 2024-25.

Nov 23, 2016; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Winnipeg Jets forward Patrik Laine (29) carries the puck during the second period against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-Imagn Images
Nov 23, 2016; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Winnipeg Jets forward Patrik Laine (29) carries the puck during the second period against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-Imagn Images

According to a story in The Athletic in 2020, the former Jets forward was asked how he came upon No. 29. Interestingly, he adopted the number after receiving it at 15. Laine explained that he didn't request it but was handed the digits from the team's equipment manager and just stuck with it.

Laine will become the fourth player to wear No. 92, following Steve Ott (2017), Jonathan Drouin (2018-2022), and Nicolas Beaudin (2024).

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