Toronto Maple Leafs forward Cedric Pare is swirling in a sea of controversy

Toronto Maple Leafs hopeful Cedric Pare is now mired in a sea of controversy. His highly criticized hit on Montreal Canadiens’ forward Patrik Laine during the first period of Saturday night’s Leafs-Habs tilt has led to significant backlash.

The Toronto Maple Leafs prospect's knee-on-knee collision with Laine left him in agony, and he will now miss most of the upcoming season. It was a tough break for Laine, who was trying to get his once-promising NHL career back on track.

Also, public outcry over Pare’s hit has some analysts like former Hab P.K. Subban calling Pare’s hit a “cheapshot.”

Now, it’s debatable whether Pare actually meant to hurt Laine. The call on the ice was no penalty. While in real time it may have looked like Pare intentionally stuck his leg out to make contact with Laine, a closer look at the replay showed the collision was unintentional.

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Cedric Pare is swirling in a sea of controversy

Had the replay confirmed Pare’s ill intention, it’s likely he would have gotten a game misconduct. The no-call on the ice prompted Habs’ enforcer Arber Xhekaj to jump Pare in a goon-like fashion, leading to a fine for his actions.

Personally, I feel Xhekaj’s reaction was warranted. However, the retaliation should have happened on the ice, not after the fact.

Pare has now gone from a fringe NHLer to the most notoriety he has ever gotten in his career. Pare publicly expressed his regret over the play, explaining that he did not mean to hurt Laine. Still, his contrition has been insufficient to erase the perception regarding the outcome of such an unfortunate incident.

A recent Sports Illustrated piece delved into the Pare-Laine incident. The piece cited comments from renowned insider Elliotte Friedman, who claimed that Pare broke an unwritten rule during the latest edition of the 32 Thoughts podcast.

The unwritten rule demands that players like Pare, who are not full-time NHLers, respect stars like Laine. Making such aggressive contact with Laine is a breach of that rule, making Xhekaj’s reaction justifiable.

While Friedman does have a point, there are holes in his argument. First, it was a preseason game. Yes, Pare may have exerted unnecessary roughness by engaging Laine the way he did. But let’s face it, Pare is fighting for a job. So, Pare felt compelled to do everything he could to keep the Canadiens from scoring.

Lamentably, that effort led to Laine’s injury.

Second, Friedman talked about how fringe NHLers shouldn’t touch stars because it’s bad for the game. In particular, injuries to stars affect the game’s marketability by removing high-profile players from the ice.

All right, Friedman does have a point from a marketing perspective. But let’s face it. Hockey is a contact sport and these things are bound to happen. After all, was there all this hubbub when John Tavares got hit in the previous Leafs-Habs game?

Friedman went on to state that Xhekaj did not get a suspension because the league felt that Pare broke the unspoken code. So, that situation allows the league to soften its stance on what Xhekaj did.

Let’s get real for a moment. If Pare had done anything unsportsmanlike, he would have been suspended. End of story. It would have virtually ended his NHL career. However, the league has yet to reprimand Pare or issue disciplinary action.

Ultimately, Laine’s injury is devastating. Laine was trying to get another fresh start to his career. He seemed gung-ho about playing in Montreal. Sadly, Laine will miss roughly two to three months with a sprained knee. Here's hoping Laine gets back on the ice sooner rather later.

But whatever the outcome, Cedric Pare is caught in a storm that has made him a household name for all the wrong reasons.