Yahoo Sports Canadiens: Players React to Laine Trade
When news broke on Monday that Patrik Laine was a Montreal Canadien, former and future teammates of the Finnish forward spoke highly of the impact he would have.
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When prompted on the subject, Columbus forward, and third-overall draft pick in 2023 Adam Fantilli shared a praising opinion of Laine, telling the Dropping The Gloves podcast that he “did a lot for me when I came to the team. He let me stay with him, took me out to a bunch of dinners. So he was a great teammate to me.”
While the two barely played a full season together, (Laine played in just 18 regular season games before entering into the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program at the end of January), the remarks by Fantilli don’t stem towards malicious in the slightest.
Related: Canadiens: About the Harris-Laine Trade
The Canadian attacker was also asked about Laine not wanting to enter the Columbus locker room. Fantilli spoke from his own experience saying:
“Maybe stemming back to the beginning of the year with anything that could have happened with the previous coach that we had. That's the only thing I can think about because our captains have done a great job with making it a very welcoming environment. At least I can speak to my experience, and nothing ever happened that I'm aware of to make him feel uncomfortable in the locker room.”
Laine told Montreal media members during his availability that he was on a walk with his dog when word spread of his departure from the Buckeye State. His phone was bombarded by calls and text messages from family, friends and new teammates. One potential linemate spoke on the trade recently.
Related: Patrik Laine Speaks With Members of the Montreal Media Following Trade to the Canadiens
Canadiens’ forward Juraj Slafkovsky was ecstatic about Laine landing in Montreal. The Slovak sensation spoke to the NHL European Media Tour on Wednesday, saying, “I just landed in Prague and it popped up on my phone and I was so happy.”
Slafkovsky reminisced on the 2016 draft, adding, “I was probably 13 or 14 at the time, and I was a big fan of his, waiting to see whether he or [Toronto Male Leafs captain Auston] Matthews would go first [overall], so I was a big fan of his back in the day.”
It will be interesting to see how Laine will impact the Canadiens in 2024-25. Not solely when it comes to his goal-scoring capabilities, but also as a–albeit 26-year-old—elder statesman in an organization with a slew of budding talent.
Related
Canadiens: Juraj Slafkovsky Kept Off Olympic Qualifier Team
Canadiens: Patrik Laine Is Not Jonathan Drouin
Canadiens: GM Kent Hughes Discusses Laine Trade
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