The Montreal Canadiens have acquired winger Patrik Laine and a 2026 second-round draft pick from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for defenseman Jordan Harris.
Laine, 26, has spent parts of four seasons with the Blue Jackets since being acquired in a trade with the Winnipeg Jets involving Pierre-Luc Dubois. In his four seasons with the club, he has struggled to stay healthy and recently spent time in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program.
In 174 games with the Blue Jackets, Laine scored 64 goals and 74 assists. His production, especially goal-scoring, wasn’t at the level it was at prior to leaving the Jets, where he scored 28 or more goals in four of his five seasons with the club, including a 44-goal sophomore season.
From Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell in the news statement: “We want players that want to be Blue Jackets and Patrik made it clear that he thought a change of scenery was best for him,” said Waddell. “We were able to acquire a good young player in Jordan Harris while maintaining financial flexibility in this deal which was very important to us. We wish Patrik all the best.”
Canadiens Get Goal-Scoring Help
The Canadiens had a clear gold of acquiring some help in the goal-scoring department. They have Cole Caufield, who set a career-high of 28 goals last season, and Nick Suzuki, who also set a career-high with 33. The Canadiens haven’t had a prolific goal-scorer since Max Pacioretty during the 2010s, and have not had a 40-goal performance since Vincent Damphousse in 1993-94.
With the hopes that this trade will jolt the club out of the bottom part of the standings, the Canadiens have had a lot of success in the draft during this rebuild, selecting players such as Juraj Slafkovsky and Ivan Demidov with high picks. The future is bright in Montreal, and having a proven 40-goal player available at a low cost doesn’t happen often. The hope for the Canadiens is that a change of scenery can help spark the offense in his game again.
On top of wanting to get goals from him, the Canadiens will also be looking to find a way to keep Laine healthy throughout the season. Since joining the Blue Jackets, his highest amount of games played is just 56.
Blue Jackets Bring In Young Defenseman
The Blue Jackets were adamant that it wouldn’t just be a trade giving away Laine. While they did have to tack on a second-round pick to compensate for the absence of salary retention, they acquired a promising young defenseman you should get some ice time in Columbus this season.
Harris, 24, is a former third-round pick by the Canadiens and has broken into the NHL lineup over the past two seasons. He has mostly played in a third-pair role but has been very effective in both his puck-moving ability and being able to play strong defensive hockey.
He isn’t very physical and doesn’t post a ton of points, but Harris can be a very strong two-way option for the Blue Jackets on the left side of their defense. They currently have a pretty left-heavy defense group, which includes Zach Werenski, Ivan Provorov, and Denton Mateychuk, but Harris provides a strong enough two-way game that he could find himself in favor of some of the others in that lineup.
Both teams got what they were looking for in this deal. The Canadiens acquired a pick, which they are always looking for, and someone with high potential to score a lot of goals. The Blue Jackets got away from Laine and his $8.7 million cap hit over the next two seasons and brought in some defensive depth as well.
