Patrik Laine Lands on Injured Reserve with Abdominal Issue Following Montreal Trade

Patrik Laine, recently traded to the Montreal Canadiens, has been placed on injured reserve with an abdomen injury. This follows a tumultuous period for Laine, who missed significant time last season with Columbus due to a broken collarbone and entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program in January, from which he was cleared in late July. He recorded six goals and nine points in 18 games for Columbus. After expressing a desire to move on, he was traded to Montreal, where he was expected to play a second-line role and join the top power-play unit. However, a left knee sprain in preseason sidelined him for 2-3 months. Despite a career marked by injuries, Laine has shown elite scoring ability, tallying 48 goals and 108 points in 111 games over his last two seasons in Columbus. He's a pure goal scorer with a wicked wrister, having hit 30 goals three times, including 44 in 2017-18, and is expected to contribute nearly a point per game when healthy.