Doctor gives grim update on Patrik Laine's injury: It's deteriorated from bad to worse.

In the opening frame of the Montreal Canadiens' preseason game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Patrik Laine-who the team had acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for defenseman Jordan Harris-left the game due to a knee-on-knee collision with Cedric Pare of the Leafs. Laine had to be helped off the ice after being seen grabbing his knee right away.

The current concerns center on how serious the injury is, whether Laine can heal from it quickly, and whether it could endanger his season. The possibility of Laine's injury was discussed by Dr. Harjas Grewal, a physician on X who offers commentary on the seriousness of NHL injuries, and the findings don't seem promising at all.

According to Grewal, Laine would have, at the very least, had a bone bruise, which would have prevented him from playing for a while-roughly a week or so. From there, it gets worse: either a torn ACL or MCL (or both), which would need major care, or a torn meniscus, which would require 4-6 weeks to more than 4 months to heal. Depending on the extent of the tear, the MCL would prevent him from playing, but if the injury is an ACL, his season is effectively over.

This is a frightening scenario that brings to mind Kirby Dach's injury for Montreal in the previous season. It also continues a pattern of several other celebrities being sidelined with ACL tears, including Mason Shaw, who has torn his ACL four times in his career, and Taylor Hall.

Laine appears to have suffered a serious injury based on how his knee bent and twisted.

It's bad news for Montreal, but it's especially bad news for Laine, who has had a number of injuries recently and who previously sought help for his mental health from the NHLPA Player Assistance Program. The world was Laine's oyster with a fresh perspective on his career and a new team to guide (especially in what was arguably the league's most exciting division). But let's hope Laine isn't too much physically or psychologically hampered by this setback.

As more details about Laine's injury become available, we'll keep you informed, but for now, we're just hoping it's not too serious.