Canadiens: Laine Is Back On The Ice

It will be two months since Montreal Canadiens sniper Patrick Laine suffered a knee injury on Nov. 28 and today, he took a huge step forward in his recovery when he stepped on the ice for the first time since then.

As you will recall, Laine was involved in a knee-on-knee collision with the Toronto Maple Leafs' Cedric Pare in a pre-season loss in the last few days of September. It was feared his season was over, but a few days later, we were told he would be sidelined for two or three months and would not need surgery.

We then found out that it was Laine's own decision to go the more conventional route for his treatment rather than go under the knife. There's no doubt that seeing him take to the ice in Brossard is a significant step in the right direction, but it doesn't necessarily mean he's on the verge of making a return.

Strained ligaments call for caution and chances are the big Finn will err on the side of caution in his recovery and take baby steps forward. Skating without discomfort is stage one, but it's far from the level of stress skating in an NHL game puts on the body, and the unavoidable physical contact that comes with it.

Related: Canadiens: Should Injured Laine Be A Lock For Finland?

Still, this is a positive sign and it gives Canadiens' fans a glimmer of hope as the team is currently trying to put an end to a five-game losing streak and struggling to put a real top-six offense together. Montreal will be taking on the Leafs tonight and could certainly use Laine's talent, but they'll have to be patient.

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