How The Habs & Jackets Both Won the Laine Trade

The big trade this week was Patrik Laine going from the Columbus Blue Jackets to the Montreal Canadiens. A deal involving Laine was inevitable but the detail of this one is interesting.

The Canadiens added Lained and a draft pick in the process. The catch is that they are taking on the rest of the contract which has two years left on it with an $8.7 million average annual value. Yet, somehow everyone feels like a winner after this deal.

Canadiens Add Elite Wing Talent

The Canadiens have a great young core and are starting to form a competitive roster. Juraj Slafkovsky, Nick Suzuki, and Cole Caufield already lead a dynamic young forward group that can blow anyone away. Adding one more piece signals that this team is ready to compete, which is what the Laine move does.

Laine is an elite skater on the wing and he’ll both set up scoring chances and find the back of the net himself while adding a speed element to the offense. He’s missed time in each of the past two seasons but it’s hard to deny that when he’s on the ice, something special can happen at any point.

Blue Jackets Move On For The Best

When the Blue Jackets added Laine, they were trading away a player in Pierre-Luc Dubois who didn’t want to be in Columbus. Ironically, they got a player who wanted out of Winnipeg and thus the swap happened. It was a risky move but one that looked poised to pay off early on. 

Then things soured. Laine couldn’t remain on the ice as he battled injuries and went into the player’s assistance program as the Blue Jackets were a mess. It made for a rough two years that both the player and the team would like to forget. 

The Blue Jackets are now out of that deal and ready to move on. Better yet, they found a team willing to take on his entire contract. With the extra cap space, they can now build the roster from the ground up.

It’s Still Early

With all the trades, only time can truly tell the winner. Both the Blue Jackets and Canadiens made the move to set their teams up for success. However, the real winner of this deal will be clear in a few years and not as an instant reaction. 

For now, it looks like one of the rare win-win trades. The Canadiens can contend as early as this season while in the long run, the Blue Jackets are better off as they kickstart their rebuild.