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Canadiens Lose 2 Key Players to Injury

Two Montreal Canadiens players left their preseason game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Jon Alfano

Sep 23, 2024; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens forward Patrik Laine (92) prepares for a face off against the Philadelphia Flyers during the second period at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
Sep 23, 2024; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens forward Patrik Laine (92) prepares for a face off against the Philadelphia Flyers during the second period at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images / Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
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The Montreal Canadiens have seen better days health-wise.

Both forward Patrik Laine and defenseman David Reinbacher left in the first period of Saturday night's preseason game against the Toronto Maple Leafs and did not return.

Laine, 26, left after a knee-on-knee collision with Maple Leafs forward Cedric Pare. He remained down on the ice in pain before being helped to the locker room.

Pare did not receive a penalty on the play, but Canadiens bruiser Arber Xhekaj went after him soon thereafter.

Montreal acquired Laine, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2016 draft, in a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets earlier this offseason. The Finnish winger played just 18 games last season due to injury and and an extended period in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. Still, the Canadiens hope they can revitalize Laine's career and get him back to the level he played at as a youngster.

Reinbacher, 19, left after an awkward collision with Maple Leafs defenseman Marshall Riafi in the firs minute of the game. He too needed help on his way to the locker room.

Montreal selected Reinbacher with the No. 5 overall pick in last year's draft, making him the highest-drafted Austria born players in NHL history alongside Thomas Vanek in 2003. Many saw him as an off-the-board pick, but he has shown promise in his early action with the Canadiens.

Since their surprising run to the 2021 Stanley Cup Final, the Canadiens have been plagued with injuries near-constantly. Two key pieces of that run, defenseman Shea Weber and goaltender Carey Price, barely played again after that (Weber didn't play at all, Price played five games the following season).

The Canadiens open the regular season against the Maple Leafs on Oct. 9, and they hope to be at full strength.

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Jon Alfano
JON ALFANO

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