Patrik Laine may not have played a game yet this season, still recovering from a knee injury suffered during the preseason, but that doesn’t stop him from being a candidate for the team Finnish national team in view of the 4 Nations Showdown, suggests the general director of Finland, Jere Lehtinen.
The Montreal Canadiens forward, who was injured on September 28, was scheduled to be absent for two to three months.
The international tournament will take place from February 12 to 20 in Montreal and Boston and will only bring together NHL players selected by Canada, the United States, Sweden and Finland. The 23-player rosters are due to be revealed in early December. Laine is therefore unlikely to have returned to the game by the time the lists of selected players are revealed.
“At this point, it’s still a month and we’ll see where we are, for everyone,” Lehtinen told NHL.com of Laine’s candidacy. “It’s a question of health and how the players are doing. When the time is right, we will know. For the moment, we have not made any decisions. »
In 13 games with the Finnish senior national team, Laine has recorded 12 points (7 goals, 5 assists).
“Let’s wait a month and we’ll see,” said Lehtinen, who is not yet ready to remove the star player from the lineup.
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