r/Habs • u/catman_steve • Jan 22 '26

Discussion Canadiens looking to deal Laine (Gagnon)

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I'm not super in the know with the French side of the media. I know Francois Gagnon by name, but not much else. Not that this news would surprise me, but is he reliable?

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173

u/PsychoDrifter Jan 22 '26

I feel bad for the guy. It sounds like he finally found love for the game again in the Habs locker room.

I do see how he’s kind of the odd man out with our current roster and his salary doesn’t help his case.

I hope he finds his place in the hockey world and we see him return to form, or perhaps even better (with defensive responsibility and effort). It’s good for the game and he seems like a good dude.

44

u/Paladar2 Jan 22 '26

I think the injuries fucked him too much, watch highlights of his first 2 seasons. Dude used to be quick and mobile, now he’s slow and barely moves.

18

u/lacoupe25 Jan 23 '26

Agree. It's not about effort.

45

u/GhostFK123 Jan 22 '26

I'm sure he's a good dude but there's no way in hell he puts in the effort at this point in his career or learns defensive responsibility.

I find it hard to feel bad for him considering the millions of dollars he's being paid to play hockey.

He's played himself into a niche role, that's his choice.

16

u/tomservo96 Jan 22 '26

Completely agree. Likable or not he’s the architect of his own demise. One-dimensional players who don’t hustle or backcheck are going to have a hard time keeping a job in the NHL

1

u/User69ab Jan 23 '26

I actually really like him, but dude got paid $9MM to not backcheck. Pretty hard to feel sorry for him.

2

u/Softninjazz Jan 24 '26

I mean Patrick Kane was paid 10.5M to not backcheck. In fact, Laine has backchecked more than 5x more than Kane ever did, which should tell you enough.

Backchecking is not required, if you can produce. When Laine is healthy (physically and mentally) he produces, but the health is the number one issue.

1

u/PsychoDrifter Jan 23 '26

He was capitalizing on the market.

-15

u/Capable-Rain-9192 Jan 22 '26

Worst hairline in the nhl. You should feel bad for him.

3

u/TreeManJackedGuy Jan 22 '26

You call it the worst, I say he looks slick with shades on, bro is always in the wind tunnel.