Patrik Laine Out 3–4 Months; Olympics Uncertain

Montreal Canadiens winger Patrik Laine underwent core muscle surgery at Lennox Hill Hospital in New York performed by Dr. Mark Zoland and is expected to miss three to four months. Laine, 27, last played Oct. 16 and had one assist in five games this season; the recovery window (earliest late January to late February) could jeopardize his availability for Finland at the Feb. 6–22, 2026 Winter Olympics. The seven-time 20-goal scorer is in the final year of his four-year contract, was the No. 2 pick in 2016 and has 422 career points across Winnipeg, Columbus and Montreal, and his history of missed games has raised questions about his future in Montreal. The Canadiens, off to a 6-3 start and leading the Atlantic Division, will reshuffle bottom-six and power-play roles — where Laine had 15 power-play goals last season — with players such as Josh Anderson, Zack Bolduc, Kirby Dach and Brendan Gallagher expected to fill the void. Laine joins other key players whose Olympic and season plans have been affected by injury, compounding Finland’s losses after stars including Aleksander Barkov were sidelined.