Another Brick in the Wall: Laine to the Canadiens

As of August 19th at around 4:00pm, Elliotte Friedman broke news that Finnish RW and former second overall pick, Patrick Laine, has been traded to the Montreal Canadiens along with a 2nd round pick, sending Jordan Harris to the Columbus Blue Jackets.

At first glance, this trade seems like a bit of a steal for the Canadiens, and that is because it is. Jordan Harris is a former 3rd round pick, left-handed defensemen with 131 career games under his belt; and a total of 32 points across three seasons for the Habs. He is 5’11”, 189 lbs, and plays similar to that of a Samuel Girard with his skating ability and puck moving skills.

Now, sure, Jordan Harris is a good, young player and will be a nice addition to the young d-core in Columbus, but Laine and a second round pick going to Montreal is quite the return.

What makes this deal easier to digest is the fact that there is no retention on Laine’s $8,700,000 contract that has another two seasons left on it. Despite his recent play, this contract could become much more fair if the 6’5” sniper could return to his 2016-2020 self with the Winnipeg Jets, where he posted 250 points through 306 games. If he can once again find that level of production, coupled with some development under Head Coach Martin St. Louis, this trade could be huge for the Canadiens moving forward. 

So, does this trade move the needle for the Habs? No, not really. But it does guarantee that Laine will score in their home opener against the Leafs on October 9th; so that’s something, right?  

Jokes aside, I am excited to see how Laine does in Montreal, and hopefully he can begin to return to his former self, properly igniting the Matthews-Laine rivalry on the perfect stage. As for the Blue Jackets, congrats on getting nearly 9 million off of the books, and hopefully Jordan Harris is everything you wanted and more! You are both still finishing bottom 2 in your divisions though…