Tappara (2015–2016) Laine started to play hockey in
Ilves at age four, but soon changed to local competitor
Tappara. He made his
Liiga debut at age 16 during the
2014–15 season with Tappara, logging six games and scoring one point. Due to strong play with Tappara early in the season and an impressive showing at the
2015 IIHF World U18 Championships, where he scored eight goals in seven games, Laine's ranking on most draft projections rose from the season prior, when he had been widely considered a mid-first-round prospect. After a dominant performance at the
2016 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, Laine received greater attention from
scouts and casual observers alike. By January 2016, he had moved up the ranking on most draft lists to second overall. According to hockey analyst
Bob McKenzie's mid-season draft report, Laine had become the "clear consensus No. 2 choice" over fellow Finnish prospect
Jesse Puljujärvi. This was due to what scouts described as a "'dynamic' element", with one scout elaborating, "Laine maybe is more of a pure goal scorer, a game-breaker with a little higher offensive ceiling." The other scouts in McKenzie's April report, meanwhile, stated they needed to think "long and hard about their decision" to rank Matthews ahead of Laine. That same month, Laine's tenure with Tappara ended with his team finishing third overall in the Liiga standings and thus qualifying for the subsequent post-season. He played a pivotal role in the semifinal series against second-ranked
Kärpät, scoring six goals in the seven-game series, including three last-minute goals to tie games four, five and six; two of those goals occurred in the final minute of the third period of their respective games, with Laine's Game six goal being scored at 19:59 of the third period with one second remaining on the clock. With his last-second tying goal in Game six, his eighth of the playoffs, Laine broke Liiga's previous goal-scoring record of seven goals in a single rookie playoff campaign. Laine and Tappara consequently defeated Kärpät and advanced to the
2016 Liiga Finals. Trailing 2–1 in the series against
HIFK, Tappara coach
Jussi Tapola moved Laine to the team's first line alongside
Jani Lajunen and leading scorer
Kristian Kuusela for Game four, where Laine recorded a goal and two assists to lead his team to a 2–2 series tie. Laine agreed to a three-year, entry-level contract with Winnipeg on 3 July 2016, signalling the start to his North American career. On 13 October 2016, he made his
National Hockey League (NHL) debut in the Jets' season-opening game against the
Carolina Hurricanes in which he scored a goal along with an assist. On 19 October, Laine registered his first career
hat-trick in a 5–4 win against the
Toronto Maple Leafs, becoming, at 18 years, 183 days old, the youngest player born outside North America to score at least twice in one game in NHL history. This record was bested by fellow Finn
Jesperi Kotkaniemi, who, at 18 years, 118 days old, scored twice against the
Washington Capitals on 1 November 2018. As a result, he missed eight games. Despite his injury, Laine was selected to participate in the
2017 NHL All-Star Game. On 14 February, Laine scored his third NHL hat-trick. A week later, he broke the Winnipeg Jets /
Atlanta Thrashers franchise record for the most goals in a single season by a rookie, previously held by
Ilya Kovalchuk with 29. By the end of the year, Laine had 36 goals and 28 assists for 64 points, the second-highest in franchise history for a rookie, next to
Dany Heatley who had 67 points (26 goals, 41 assists) as a rookie in
2001–02, and the highest
since relocation to Winnipeg. On 25 February 2018, during his second NHL campaign, Laine would score his 30th and 31st goals of the year, making him the seventh teenager in the history of NHL to register consecutive 30-goal seasons. On 6 March, Laine scored his fourth NHL hat-trick in a 3–0 win over the
New York Rangers, becoming the third teenager in the history of the NHL to record four three-goal games before their 20th birthday. On 15 March 2018, in a game against the
Chicago Blackhawks, Laine extended his point streak to 14 games, which set a new NHL record for the longest point streak by a teenager in league history. His streak ended at 15 games on 20 March 2018 after he failed to collect a point in a game against the
Los Angeles Kings. At the conclusion of the
2017–18 season, Laine ranked second for most goals scored in the regular season with 44, behind
Alexander Ovechkin's 49. Despite losing the
NHL top goal scorer award, Laine became the first teenager in 30 years to score a total of 80 goals, surpassing
Sidney Crosby's 75. Laine recorded his first playoff goal in Game One against the
Minnesota Wild to help the Jets to their first playoff win in franchise history, 3–2. He likewise became both the youngest player in Jets franchise history, as well as the youngest Finnish player in the NHL, to score a playoff goal at age 19 years, 357 days. On 19 November 2018, Laine recorded his sixth career hat-trick against the
Vancouver Canucks in a 6–3 win. On 24 November 2018, Laine recorded
five goals in an 8–4 win over the
St. Louis Blues, becoming the first person since
Johan Franzén in February 2011 to accomplish that feat, and the 45th player cumulatively. Laine had only five shots in the game, making him the sixth player in NHL history to score five goals on five shots and the first since
Wayne Gretzky in 1984. A few days later on 29 November, Laine scored his 100th goal, becoming the fourth-youngest player in NHL history to score 100 regular season goals. Without contract as a
restricted free agent, Laine traveled to
Switzerland to train with
SC Bern of the
National League (NL). However, on 27 September 2019, he agreed to a two-year, $13.5 million contract extension with the Jets. The
2019–20 shortened season due to the
COVID-19 pandemic proved to be a resurgent one for Laine, who scored 63 points in 68 games for a career high 0.93 points per game (
PPG). Despite this improvement, his wrist would be injured early into the play-in round of the
2020 Stanley Cup playoffs against the
Calgary Flames, whereas the Jets were eliminated in four games.
Columbus Blue Jackets (2021–2024) Entering the off-season, rumors circulated that the Jets were interested in trading Laine, including from his own agent; Laine himself dismissed any concern about these rumors in a January 2021 interview. On 23 January, before returning from injury, Laine was traded along with forward
Jack Roslovic to the
Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for forward
Pierre-Luc Dubois and a
2022 third-round pick. On 9 February, controversy again surrounded Laine when, after multiple defensive lapses in a game versus Carolina, he was involved in a verbal altercation with an assistant coach and was subsequently benched for his actions. During his first season in Columbus, he scored 10 goals and 11 assists across 45 games. This was followed by a four-year, $34.8 million contract extension with the team in July 2022. His tenure with the Blue Jackets continued to be plagued by injuries, causing him to miss a significant number of games. After suffering a
fractured clavicle in a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on 14 December 2023, it was announced in January 2024 that Laine had entered the NHL/
NHLPA Player Assistance Program, personally citing a need to prioritize his "mental health and well-being."
Montreal Canadiens (2024–present) At the conclusion of the
2023–24 season, reports circulated that Laine was disgruntled with the Blue Jackets and that both parties sought a trade. This was later confirmed by newly hired Columbus general manager
Don Waddell who, in an August 2024 interview, stated that Laine "does not want to play for the Blue Jackets." Subsequently, on 19 August 2024, he was traded to the
Montreal Canadiens, along with a second-round pick in
2026, for defenceman
Jordan Harris. With his habitual
jersey number 29
retired by the team in tribute to
Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender
Ken Dryden, Laine chose instead to wear number 92 as member of the Canadiens. In a preseason exhibition game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on 28 September, he took a knee-on-knee collision with Leafs forward
Cédric Paré and exited the game. Despite initial fears that he might miss significant playing time, it was subsequently announced that Laine would not require surgery, and would be sidelined for two to three months of the
2024–25 season while his knee rehabilitated. Following a 24-game absence, he made his Canadiens debut on 3 December versus the
New York Islanders where he scored the first goal of the game in the second period. After registering goals through three of his first four games with the team, Laine scored his first hat-trick as a member of the Canadiens on 17 December versus the Buffalo Sabres, surpassing fellow countryman
Mikko Rantanen for the third most hat-tricks all-time by a Finnish-born NHL player with 11. He was recognized as part of the NHL's weekly
Three Star Awards for the period ending on 22 December. Just 10 games after making his season debut, he would suffer yet another injury, coincidentally in his return to
Nationwide Arena versus the Blue Jackets on 23 December. Despite this, Laine did not miss any additional playing time and was present for the Canadiens' next game on 28 December versus the
Florida Panthers. Following a four game absence due to the flu, he returned to the lineup on 11 January 2025 against the
Dallas Stars. A few days later, Laine recorded his 400th NHL point on 14 January, scoring his tenth goal of the season and first at
even strength against the
Utah Hockey Club; all nine of his previous goals had come on the
power play. In doing so, he became the seventh
Finnish player in NHL history to reach this juncture in fewer than 500 games played, behind
Jari Kurri,
Teemu Selanne, Rantanen,
Sebastian Aho,
Esa Tikkanen, and
Aleksander Barkov. He would skate in his 500th NHL game on the road at
Little Caesars Arena versus the
Detroit Red Wings on 23 January. Five games into the
2025–26 season, Laine suffered a core muscle injury. After missing a week of games, the Canadiens announced that he had undergone surgery for same, subsequently ruling him out for the following three to four months. ==International play==