Trade deadline aftermath: Canadien's Patrik Laine next steps
On the list of 2026 unrestricted free agents (UFA), we find Patrik Laine. Selected 2nd overall in 2016, he was lauded as one of the best prospects to land in the NHL and in Winnipeg.
In 2021, Laine was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets with former teammate Jack Roslovic to get a fresh start after an unhappy tenure with the Winnipeg Jets. The Blue Jackets sent Pierre-Luc Dubois and a 2022 third-round pick to the Jets, retaining part of his salary.
He'd find himself at another crossroads years later and would ask for a change of scenery, which was granted to him by general manager Don Waddell of the Blue Jackets.
The Blue Jackets send a 2nd-round pick in 2026, and Patrik Laine for defenseman Jordan Harris.
But his time in Montreal after playing 57 games in two years might be at an end. It was speculated that he'd be dealt during the trade deadline, but the cost of his contract would mean they'd have to attach an asset to move his $8.7 million average annual value (AAV) contract.
As a pending UFA, it would be beneficial for the Canadiens to find a new home for him before free agency, so they don't lose him for nothing.
His role with the Canadiens diminished in recent weeks due to an injury; it stayed the same after the Olympic break, where he's yet to slot into the lineup even as he's healthy.
