Unfortunate news revealed by Elliotte Friedman on Canadiens' Patrik Laine and David Reinbacher

With Patrik Laine's knee injury, the Montreal Canadiens are in a dangerous situation as they wait to hear his prognosis. He was hurt when he collided knee-on-knee with Cedric Pare in his preseason game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Laine's need for assistance off the ice following the impact suggests that he may not be available for much longer.

Laine was eager to prove himself once more following a somewhat disappointing season with the Columbus Blue Jackets, and this injury has come at a bad time.

Forward Cedric Pare, 25, who has never played in the NHL but has competed professionally in the AHL and ECHL, is the player who made the hit. Pare, like so many fringe players, is fighting for his opportunity to make an impact on for the Leafs even though it's unlikely that he will ever have a full-time NHL job.

Sadly, analyst Elliotte Friedman said that his reckless play not only ended Laine's season but also violated an NHL unwritten rule.

Friedman noted on the 32 Thoughts Podcast that Pare's hit was against one of the NHL "codes," which are numerous unwritten guidelines that players generally abide by to stay out of harm's way. Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj took matters into his own hands by launching a few retaliatory punches at Pare after Pare was not given a penalty for the knee-on-knee hit on that play. Xhekaj was fined for his unsportsmanlike behavior, but he was not suspended-possibly because it is widely known that Pare crossed the line in his check.

When Elliotte Friedman was asked to provide an update on both players' injuries, he also confirmed the worst. This will not sit well with Habs fans as he stated that the team is bracing for the worst even though they are unable to provide an update on the specific ailments that each player is dealing with.

One of the best players in the league might have suffered a serious setback as a result of Cedric Pare, a player with limited NHL experience. As the incident demonstrates, there is a fine line to be drawn between providing fringe players a chance to establish themselves and avoiding positioning league stars in positions where they could be unfairly harmed by games that don't count toward the standings. All a team like the Canadiens can really hope for is a speedy recovery for Laine and a continued rarity of events such as these.