As much as fans are excited about having the 2016 No. 2 overall pick in the lineup, Laine already has a big fan on the Canadiens roster, as well.“It’s funny, during the summer you wonder how things are going to be throughout the year and who you’re going to play with and what your role is going to be, and I pretty much can’t wait to be there already and play.
“I wish we would could skip training camp and just start the season, because I’m excited to play games that mean something.” Slafkovsky is entering his third NHL campaign and signed an eight-year, $60.8 million extension this summer after scoring 20 goals with 50 points in 82 games last season.“I just landed in Prague and it popped up on my phone and I was so happy,” Slafkovsky said. “In 2016, I was probably 13 or 14 at that time, and I was a big fan of his, waiting to see whether he or Matthews would go first , so I was a fan of his back in the day.
The Canadiens have missed the playoffs three years in a row but are looking to take tangible steps forward in the rebuild and are looking for Laine, who has two years remaining with a $8.7 million cap hit on his contract, to help them take another step this season. “It’s good to see him join our team and hopefully he’s excited too,” Slafkovsky said. “I’m sure he wants to come and restart his career, and I feel like Montreal is a great place for him to do that.”