The Montreal Canadiens held their first team practice since their Olympic break started after their 4-1 victory against the Winnipeg Jets back on February 4th. Some players had been on the ice in Brossard for a couple of days prior to the practice, but there were no obligations for the guys to be there. One of those players was Patrik Laine, who was seen on the ice over the past week; however, it was announced ahead of practice that he was not participating due to a lower-body injury. The Canadiens mentioned that he will be evaluated on a day-to-day basis.

L’attaquant Patrik Laine ne participera à l’entraînement d’aujourd’hui (bas du corps, évaluation sur une base quotidienne).

Forward Patrik Laine will not participate in today’s practice (lower body, is being evaluated on a daily basis).

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) February 17, 2026

Laine has missed the last 52 games due to a sports hernia injury that required surgery to repair and could miss more time if he’s not ready to go before next Thursday’s matchup against the New York Islanders. Well, that is if he’s also still in the organization, as there is still talk that he could be traded as soon as the trade freeze is lifted as of 11:59 pm ET on Sunday, February 22nd, 2026. The trade freeze ending could set off a lot of deals to come as of next Monday, as teams could still talk; it’s just that they can’t announce them during the Olympics. With that being said, could keeping Laine out with a lower-body injury be a way to assure that nothing happens between now and February 22nd to prevent a deal from happening?

Nick Kypreos: Re Patrik Laine: Montreal is looking to move out his money and might be willing to spend an asset to do that; are prepared to retain a good chunk (even up to 50 per cent) of his deal – Sportsnet (2/2)

— NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) February 4, 2026

It’s been reported that the Habs were really hoping to get rid of his contract and would be willing to retain up to 50% for the rest of the season in order to make it happen. This is why the idea that holding him out of team practices would make sense, as they maybe already have a deal in place and are just waiting to be able to announce it at the beginning of next week.

Given Laine’s injury history, it is very possible that another minor lower-body injury has occurred, but given how it’s hard to see him having a fit anywhere in the lineup and the signs a trade would be coming soon, it just seems like that may be the most plausible reasoning for him sitting out of team practices.

Either way, it just seems like we have seen the end of the Patrik Laine in Montreal experiment. There were a lot of ups and downs, but he will always be remembered for his 15 power play goals to help the Canadiens get back into the playoff race last season and sneak into the 2nd Wild Card spot. However, on the flip side, there just never was a fit for him at even strength, finishing the season as a -14 in 52 games. Then heading into this season as younger guys started to emerge, he found himself pinned to the 4th line with guys who couldn’t help him create offence. Not to mention, his top power play time was taken away from him, resulting in him looking out of place before the Habs shut him down due to a sports hernia.

Throughout his short tenure with the Canadiens, Laine scored 20 goals and 34 points in 57 games total, as he missed more games than he played since being traded to Montreal in August 2024. Luckily, the HBS were able to find some use for him in the beginning, and it wasn’t all bad, as they never would have made the playoffs if not for his red-hot December 2024, where he netted 8 power play markers.

Alex Newhook taking part in his first #Habs practice this afternoon since fracturing his right ankle on Nov. 13. He’s wearing blue non-contact sweater. pic.twitter.com/iPH6nfM2r6

— Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) February 17, 2026

Onto better news, forward Alex Newhook skated in a non-contact jersey with his teammates at practice on Tuesday for the first time since he fractured his ankle back on November 13th. This is a great sign, as he was expected to miss 4-5 months following his surgery. He should be cleared to play within the next few weeks.

Do you think Laine is injured, or do you think he is being held out due to the possibility of a trade in the works?Â