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Patrik Laine said the knee sprain that will keep him out of the Montreal Canadiens lineup for 2-3 months “could have been much worse,” and the 26-year-old forward is looking forward to getting back on the ice.

“I kind of dodged a bullet with the knee,” Laine said Thursday after Canadiens practice in Mont-Tremblant, Quebec. “I’m not still happy with the injury, but it is what it is. Just try to stay positive. We’ll be back.”

Laine was injured on a knee-on-knee collision with Toronto Maple Leafs forward Cedric Pare at 3:49 of the first period of a 2-1 preseason loss Saturday and had to be helped off the ice and down the tunnel.

Acquired by the Canadiens in a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets on Aug. 19 along with a second-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft for defenseman Jordan Harris, Laine was limited to 18 games last season, the last coming on Dec. 14, because of a broken clavicle. He had nine points (six goals, three assists). Laine began receiving care from the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program on Jan. 28 and was cleared from the program July 26.

He described the days after the injury as “pretty miserable.”

“It was pretty emotional,” Laine said. “I fought back so hard to get back on the ice, and being excited again, and then the second game, second shift you get hurt again. But that’s just the way it is.

“You know, in this sport you get hurt sometimes and just try to stay positive. But at least now I’ll have the second half to the season when I come back, so that’ll be good.”

Laine said it was his decision not to have surgery on the knee, opting for rehab instead.

“I mean, it’s my knee after all,” he said. “You know it could go either way. I don’t think there’s ever any guarantees whether you do surgery or not. So, I’m sure me and the medical staff and everybody else will do everything we can to make sure it’ll be great once I come back.”

The No. 2 pick by the Winnipeg Jets in the 2016 NHL Draft said he has no ill will toward Pare regarding the injury.

“I don’t think anybody’s trying to hurt anybody,” Laine said. “Hockey is a fast game. I put myself in that situation a little bit and you know, he’s trying to make a stop. It’s just an unfortunate collision.

“He texted me afterwards; give him respect for that. Just an unfortunate play.”

Laine has 388 points (204 goals, 184 assists) in 480 NHL games with the Jets and Blue Jackets, and 16 points (eight goals, eight assists) in 24 Stanley Cup Playoff games. He scored a League career-high 44 goals with the Jets in 2017-18 after scoring 36 as a rookie in 2016-17. He’s a six-time 20-goal scorer, mostly recently with 22 goals in 2022-23, but has played 129 of 246 games the past three seasons.

Montreal begins the regular season at home against Toronto on Wednesday.

“Now I have to put in the work,” Laine said. “We have a great medical staff, so I’m not worried.”