Montreal Canadiens winger Patrik Laine will miss three to four months after undergoing surgery for a core muscle injury, the NHL club announced Saturday.
Laine hasn’t played since an Oct. 16 game against visiting Nashville. The Canadiens originally said he would be out on a day-to-day basis with a lower-body injury before their Oct. 19 home game against the New York Rangers.
The 27-year-old Finnish forward had been used sparingly before the injury, posting one assist while an averaging a career-low 12 minutes 26 seconds of ice time over five games.
Laine had 20 goals and 13 assists in 52 games last season, his first with the Canadiens, after missing the first 24 games with a knee sprain. Montreal acquired Laine in a trade with Columbus before the 2024-25 campaign.
He had a career-high 44 goals and 70 points with the Winnipeg Jets in his sophomore season in 2017-18.
The Canadiens were set to return to action Saturday night in Vancouver.
