It may be August, but we have trades to talk about. The Edmonton Oilers have been busy as they try to figure out offer sheets for Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg, but they’re not the only active team right now. Earlier today, the Montreal Canadiens announced they had acquired Patrik Laine and a second-round pick from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for defenseman Jordan Harris.
Laine’s name has been in the rumor mill for a while, as he’s wanted out of Columbus. He has two years left on his contract at a cap hit of $8.7 million, with the Canadiens taking on his full deal. Both sides made out well, as the Blue Jackets got a promising young defenseman in return. Let’s grade each side.
Canadiens Making Smart Gamble on Laine
Laine only appeared in 18 games this past season, totaling six goals and nine points. Injuries were a problem; he’s still recovering from offseason shoulder surgery. But he also entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program to deal with some mental health issues.
While Laine is a bit of an unknown, given the lack of playing time the last season and a half, the upside is real. Though he only played in 56 games in 2022-23, he totaled 22 goals and 52 points — a 32-goal, 76-point pace over 82 games.
Furthermore, Laine’s microstats from that season were excellent. He was a high-volume shooter and created plenty of offense off the rush, and though you may think of him as a one-dimensional sniper, his playmaking was more than solid in 2022-23. Even his defensive game graded out quite well, something you don’t think of with Laine, either:
We don’t know what kind of player Laine is right now. But the Canadiens are making the bet that he can bounce back with a change of scenery, and they might be onto something. If he returns to his 2022-23 form, he could give the Canadiens a real jolt on offense, something they could use in their lineup as they continue their rebuild.
There is obviously risk in taking on Laine’s entire $8.7 million cap hit, and it has nothing to do with whatever personal struggles he’s dealt with this year. Even before this season, he’s had trouble staying healthy. Injuries are a concern, so there’s always a chance he doesn’t live up to the cap hit.
But even then, I like the bet the Canadiens are making. I’m sure their goal is to keep Laine around long-term, and if he finds success in Montreal, he may want to extend with them. They also didn’t give up much in Harris, even though he’s a promising young defenseman. The Canadiens have a surplus of left-shot defenders anyway, so they shouldn’t feel the loss too much. Plus, they get a second-round pick to boot.
Canadiens grade: B+
Blue Jackets Gain Flexibility and Upside
With or without Laine, the Blue Jackets are unlikely to be contenders this coming season. They did right by him by moving him to give him a fresh start, but they also accomplished their objectives in pulling off this trade.
The first was not wanting to retain money, which Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell has said on multiple occasions that it was his preference to not retain any salary when trading Laine. He now has plenty of financial flexibility to make moves for the Blue Jackets when he feels the team is ready for it, and he won’t have a retention slot used up for two years, giving him more power at the next two trade deadlines.
Two) They got a pretty good young defenseman in Harris. The Blue Jackets have plenty of promising young blueliners coming up through their system in David Jiricek, Denton Mateychuk, and Corson Ceulemans, but what’s another with Harris? His counting totals may not be impressive, but his underlying metrics suggest he has more to give:
Harris played limited minutes for the Canadiens, but there should be more playing time available to him in Columbus. He moves the puck well, and his two-way impacts at even strength have been solid. Considering their hands were tied a bit with Laine, the Blue Jackets did well for themselves to get NHL talent in return, and there’s more upside to Harris’ game than a third-pair defenseman
Sure, the Blue Jackets had to attach a second-round pick as a sweetener to move Laine, but acquiring Harris should make up for that. Add in that they didn’t retain any salary, giving them plenty of financial flexibility, and it’s hard not to like what Waddell did with his first big trade as the Blue Jackets’ GM.
Blue Jackets grade: A-
