Patrik Laine is grateful his knee injury isn’t worse than it is.
Speaking Thursday in Mont-Tremblant, Que, the Montreal Canadiens star said that while he wishes he could join his teammates on the ice, he isn’t blaming anyone for his injury.
“It’s fun to be around, obviously much rather be on the ice,” Laine said. “Kind of dodged a bullet with the knee; it could’ve been much worse. I mean, I’m not still happy with the injury, but it is what is and just trying to stay positive. We’ll be back.”
The Canadiens announced Tuesday that Laine will not need surgery and is expected to miss two to three months with the injury. Laine shared that the decision was ultimately his own and that it was made after consulting with a few doctors.
“Got some good opinions, but at the end of the day, it was my call to make, whatever we wanted to do,” he said. “The team and everyone else gave me all the help with that, and at the end of the day, just decided not to do surgery and just do rehab and let it heal.”
The 26-year-old suffered the sprain after a knee-on-knee collision with Toronto Maple Leafs forward Cedric Pare in a pre-season game last Saturday.
Laine stayed down on the ice after the contact, clutching his knee as a team trainer attended to him. He then had to be helped off the ice by two teammates, keeping pressure off his left leg.
“It’s a fast game, it wasn’t my intention,” Pare said when asked about the hit after the game. “It’s unfortunate, I hope he’s fine.”
Laine also shared Thursday that Pare reached out to apologize afterward, but added he doesn’t blame the Maple Leaf for the injury, as he believes he put himself in a bad spot on the play.
“I don’t think anybody’s trying to hurt anybody,” he said. “Hockey’s a fast game and kind of put myself in that situation a little bit trying to make a stop. It’s just an unfortunate collision and he texted me afterwards, which I give him respect for that.”
As far as his recovery process and timeline go, Laine said that at the moment he doesn’t know how long he’ll be on crutches or when he’ll be able to start skating again. His plan for now is to take things day-by-day to allow his knee to heal.
“I think I just have to use these (crutches) for a while, obviously haven’t really talked about on-ice stuff yet,” he said.
Acquired by the Canadiens in a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets in August, Laine scored six goals and nine points in just 18 games last season. He was kept off the ice after breaking his clavicle in December, then spent six months in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program.
The Canadiens are in Mont-Tremblant for a team bonding trip before heading to Ottawa on Saturday for the team’s final pre-season game against the Senators.