Report: Patrik Laine Done in Columbus

Patrik Laine, needless to say, had a very challenging year with the Columbus Blue Jackets. After being able to play just 18 games and registering nine points, Laine spent most of the year in the NHL's Player Assistance Program, where he still resides.

Per TSN insider Pierre LeBrun on today's TSN Insider Trading, the Blue Jackets are working with Laine's camp to get him moved elsewhere.

He would like to move on, and his agent has had conversations with the blue jackets about it, and both size are going to work together to get that done. He wants a fresh start. It hasn't been a good time in Columbus.

Pierre LeBrun on Insider Trading reports Patrik Laine would like to move on from #CBJ and both team/agent will work together to try and get a trade done, he wants a fresh start.
— NHL News (@PuckReportNHL) June 12, 2024

The problem is that Laine still has two more years to run on his contract with an $8.7 million cap hit. The former No. 2 overall pick (2016 NHL Draft) began his career by averaging over 37 goals in his first four seasons with the Winnipeg Jets, and although he's missed plenty of time due to injuries since arriving in Columbus, he's still managed a 34-goal pace over 82 games, and in actuality still did score 20+ goals in the previous two seasons before this one (while playing just 55 ad 56 games respectively).

Certainly, the potential of unlocking the healthy Laine of his first four years in the league in a new environment would be a great incentive for teams to take a chance.

Laine's season got off to a dreadful start, and he even found himself being listed as a healthy scratch at one point, which he called "over my career, probably the most embarrassing thing that’s happened to me."

When he entered the Player Assistance Program at the end of January, Laine made it clear that he had some issues to deal with, and we can only hope that he's been able to do so over the last four+ months.

It was also revealed within the last week that Laine had shoulder surgery recently.