After several months of rumors and reports that Patrik Laine was disgruntled with the Columbus Blue Jackets, the malcontent winger was traded to the Montreal Canadiens on Monday, sending the talented young forward back to Canada.
Montreal sent defenseman Jordan Harris, a former third-round pick with three years of NHL experience, to Columbus in exchange for a 2026 second-round pick and the final two years of Laine’s $8.7 million AAV contract.
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Laine, who was traded to the Blue Jackets along with Jack Roslovic for Pierre-Luc Dubois back in 2020-21, never quite gelled during his four years in Columbus. His production was decent, including a 2021-22 season where recorded 26 goals and 56 points in 56 games, ultimately the peak of his four-year tenure, but various injuries and a stint in the NHL’s Player Assistance Program caused him to average just 43.5 games per season.
He and the Canadiens are mutually hoping for a return to form, as the Swedish winger was one of the most exciting young talents when he broke into the NHL with the Winnipeg Jets as an 18-year-old. Finishing second in Calder voting in his rookie season and followed that up with a 44-goal, 70-point season the very next year.
“I didn’t need much convincing, I really wanted to go to Montreal,” a determined Laine told media. “I don’t want to come back as a 30 goals scorer; I want to come back as a 40, 50. I’ve done that previously, and it’s not by accident.”
The Blue Jackets, meanwhile, free themselves from a hefty contractual obligation and a player whose off-the-ice reports had become a major source of distraction in the media.
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“We want players that want to be Blue Jackets,” newly appointed general manager Don Waddell told the media following Laine’s trade. “He’s been very vocal about it way before I got here that he does not want to play for the Blue Jackets.”
There was no salary retention in the deal, meaning Montreal bears the full, unadulterated brunt of Laine’s $8.7 million AAV. He’s not only one of the biggest pieces moved via trade this offseason but also one of the biggest “what-ifs” heading into the 2024-25 season.
Grading Montreal Canadiens acquisition of Patrik Laine
Who won the trade? Let’s break it down.
Montreal Canadiens: A-
The Canadiens were fortunate enough to be in a situation where they could take the full financial hit of Laine’s contract, which lessened the value they would have to give up in return.
Jordan Harris is a solid young defenseman, but he was mainly in a bottom-pairing role last season and doesn’t have enough of an offensive profile to make him untradeable. Plus, his $1.4 million AAV does help with Laine’s contract as the Canadiens only have to account for an extra $7.3 million instead of the full $8.7.
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While PuckPedia has Montreal with the third-fewest cap space in the NHL at -$2.02 million, that’s before any official roster moves. Keep in mind, that the Canadiens haven’t officially placed Carey Price and Rafael Harvey-Pinard on LTIR, which frees up an extra $11.6 million on top of any other moves they make.
So, while the Canadiens no longer have wide open cap space, they had more than enough to pull off this trade and should have some cushion left over in case they take a big leap and look to add at the trade deadline.
Laine is certainly more of a project — hence why they were able to get him for a bottom-pairing D-man — but he’s an undeniable talent who had near-instant success as a teenager in the NHL. After eight seasons, he’s still only 25 so a resurgence shouldn’t necessarily be unlikely.
At his best, he’s a high-scoring winger with a magnificent shot that can transform a line’s production when he’s on his game. Daily Faceoff projects him on the second line, playing right wing next to 24-year-olds Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook.
Perhaps Laine’s scoring touch is exactly what Montreal needs after finishing the 2023-24 season with the seventh-fewest goals in the League. With Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, and Juraj Slavkosky already leading the charge for the next generation of Canadiens hockey, a return to form from Laine would make this top six fairly dangerous.
For a team like Montreal, this is a pretty low-risk, high-reward situation. If Laine enjoys a resurgence, it could help propel the Canadiens forward in an ultra-competitive Atlantic Division and maybe even give them an outside chance at a wild card. If Laine doesn’t quite find his footing or continues to have some off-ice issues, there are only two years left on the contract, and Montreal won’t enter their true winning window until a couple of years anyway.
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If things get really ugly with Laine this season, which seems unlikely as the Swedish winger is reportedly very excited to play in Montreal, it shouldn’t be too difficult to buy him out or move his final year, even with the $8.7 million cap hit.
Harris for Laine straight up would probably be a pretty enticing trade for Montreal. But when you add a 2026 second-rounder into the mix? You’ve got yourself a great deal there, especially when you consider that if Columbus remains stuck in the gutter in the East, that’s likely a top-40 pick.
Columbus Blue Jackets: C+
GM Don Waddell had the unenviable task of trying to move a player who had publically made it clear that he wanted no part of being in Columbus. Factor in the two years at $8.7 million AAV and moving that player while getting value back is near impossible.
The cold truth is the Columbus Blue Jackets were going to lose value on Laine no matter what. Teams aren’t going to compensate you just because he might revert to his elite ways.
The biggest win of this trade for Columbus is being able to clean themselves of Laine’s contract without retaining any salary. Sure, it likely cost them a second-rounder and diminished the return they got back from Montreal, but the Blue Jackets now have the third-most cap space in the NHL at $18.20 million.
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Don Waddell said that he wants players who want to be Blue Jackets. Laine certainly didn’t fit that bill, and there probably aren’t too many A-listers chomping at the bit to play in Columbus right now. They’re going to have to establish a culture there first. The signing of Johnny Gaudreau, theoretically, was supposed to help in that regard, but he’s been a pretty big flop so far.
The Blue Jackets have some talented prospects coming up, headlined by former No. 3 overall pick Adam Fantilli, who just wrapped up his rookie campaign. Now Waddell has ample cap space to start the process of building a respectable group around them.
Harris isn’t a bad get by any means and should continue to enjoy regular playing time on the Columbus blue line. If nothing else, it’s another young player that Waddell can extend with an RFA contract if he likes what he sees this season.
The Blue Jackets clearly didn’t get anything close to the potential value they gave up, but that was inevitable. It’s still tough to swallow, but at least they’ve freed themselves up to make some franchise-changing moves moving forward.