Patrik Laine Out Two To Three Months After Brutal Knee-To-Knee Hit

I don't know what is going on this year, but there seems to have been an abundance of injuries to some big names that will be causing some teams headaches in the early going of this preseason, and the latest is Montreal Canadiens forward Patrik Laine who will miss two to three months after sustaining an injury in a nasty knee-to-knee hit over the weekend.

Laine and the Canadiens were playing the Toronto Maple Leafs when Laine carried the puck into the zone early in the first period where he was hit knee-on-knee by Toronto's Cedric Pare.

Laine needed to be helped off the ice and was spotted at practice on crutches a couple of days later.

It was pretty clear that the Finnish sniper — who was acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets over the offseason — was not going to be healthy enough to be in the lineup for the Habs' first game of the season on October 9 at home against the Leafs.

But how long Laine would be out was the biggest question, and now we have an answer.

The Canadiens announced on Tuesday that Laine sustained a sprain to his left knee and that he will miss two to three months.

That's less than ideal for both the Canadiens and for Laine — who has been open about his off-ice struggles with mental health and his need for a change of scenery before the trade to Montreal — but it sure looked like that could have been way worse.

Yeah, two to three months is a long time, but I'm sure a lot of Canadiens fans had their hearts in their throat thinking that Laine was going to potentially be out for most of the season.

The hope was that Laine could help elevate the Habs offense, so they'll have to pick up the slack until he returns. That'll be crucial because they're in the Atlantic Division with the likes of the Bruins, Leafs, Lightning, and reigning Cup-winners the Florida Panthers, so if they fall off the pace of the front-runners, nabbing a playoff spot will be a tall order.