The Montreal Canadiens were expected to be a player during this off-season, but had been relatively quiet except for a couple of big re-signings. Monday, they made their off-season splash not with a free agent, but with a trade acquisition, bringing in Patrik Laine from the Columbus Blue Jackets. To get him the Habs sent defender Jordan Harris to Columbus. Montreal also received a 2026 second-round pick.
Laine burst onto the NHL scene with 36 goals in his rookie season with the Winnipeg Jets, and 44 the next, but hasn’t hit those levels since, reaching 30 goals for the last time in 2018-19.
He did spend time in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program during his time with the Columbus Blue Jackets, where he played a high of 55 games over a three-and-a-half-year stintt, playing just 18 games last season. A change of scenery to a tight-knit team like the Canadiens may be beneficial to him, and get him comfortable playing the game again.
Laine was one of the options Marc Bergevin had available to sign to an offer sheet back in the summer of 2019 when the ultimate decision was to target Sebastian Aho. Five years later, the Canadiens land the Finnish sniper, hoping he can re-establish himself as an offensive weapon.
He has two years remaining on a contract that pays him $8.7 million per season, making him the highest-paid player on the Canadiens’ roster for 2024-25. There was no salary retained in the deal.
Matt Drake and Jared Book discuss their instant reactions to the trade on Habsent Minded.
