Patrik Laine activated, set to make Canadiens debut vs. Islanders

The Canadiens announced theyve activated winger Patrik Laine from long-term injured reserve ahead of Tuesdays game against the Islanders.

Hell debut in Montreal after suffering a left knee sprain during the preseason.

Montreal had a pair of open roster spots, but theyre $317.5K short of having ample space to remove his $8.7M cap hit from LTIR.

Without a corresponding move, that suggests the Habs have transferred goaltender Carey Price s contract from IR to LTIR to keep them compliant for the time being.

Laines Canadiens regular-season debut comes earlier than most expected after receiving a knee-on-knee hit from Cedric Pare in an exhibition game against the Maple Leafs in late September.

Subsequent imaging revealed a sprain but no structural damage, easily the best-case scenario.

The team issued a two-to-three-month return timeline for Laine, a window he entered a few days ago.

The 26-year-old Finn will skate in a second-line role at left wing alongside Kirby Dach and Juraj Slafkovsky , reports Kenzie Lalonde of TSN .

Its unclear how much his minutes will be restricted in his first NHL contest in 355 days.

Montreal acquired Laine from the Blue Jackets in a long-awaited move out of Columbus in August .

They parted ways with defenseman Jordan Harris but received a 2026 second-round pick to take on the last two seasons of the oft-injured wingers four-year, $34.8M contract without any salary retention.

Laines 2023-24 campaign was truncated at the 18-game mark due to a collarbone fracture and subsequent lengthy stay in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program.

It marked the fifth straight season in which the 2016 second-overall pick missed at least 10 games due to injury after missing just nine total games combined in the first three seasons of his NHL career.

While the high-ceiling sniper hasnt hit 30 goals since the 2018-19 campaign, he produced a 34-goal, 74-point clip per 82 games over his three full seasons as a Jacket.

Hes a major offensive boost to a Canadiens team in the bottom half of the league at 2.83 goals per game.

Laine enters the lineup for sophomore Joshua Roy , who was reassigned to AHL Laval last night.

Enforcer Michael Pezzetta is expected to be a healthy scratch against the Isles for the 16th straight game.

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