The Canadiens made a summer splash in the trade market pool yesterday by acquiring star forward Patrik Laine from the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Canadiens also received a 2026 second-round pick in the deal, while defenceman Jordan Harris went the other way. Harris is a solid young defenceman but in the end, he fell victim to the plethora of young blueliners in the Habs system. Laine, on the other hand, needed a fresh start. After completing the NHLPA’s player assistance program, Laine requested a trade out of Ohio. When healthy, the Finnish winger has produced at an elite level and he has already hit the 40-goal mark earlier in his career. We know he adds goals, but what else can Patrik Laine bring to the Montreal Canadiens?
What Patrik Laine brings to the Canadiens
Dual Threat in the Top-Six
Last season a big issue was that Montreal only had one scoring line. This being the Slafkovsky-Suzuki-Caufield line. Well now with Kirby Dach back and the addition of Patrik Laine, they essentially have added two top-six forwards. When you throw Alex Newhook or Joshua Roy into the mix, they finally have some depth scoring.
But we also see the emergence of a dual threat in the top-six. Cole Caufield had a slight dip in expected goal production last year with a still respectable number of 28. A large part of Caufield’s scoring issue was that he was the only shooting threat on the team. But now teams will have to match up and gameplan against both Laine and Caufield. Whether they are on the same line or not, this dual goal-scoring threat could become a nightmare for many teams. This could prove to be especially true on the power play.
Improvement to Both Power Play Units
No longer will the Canadiens have to send out guys like Joel Armia or Josh Anderson onto their number one unit with an extra man. They will now finally be able to ice two respectable and potentially lethal power play units. Having Laine, Caufield, Nick Suzuki, Juraj Slafkovsky, and Lane Hutson on the top unit could give opposing teams headaches.
The arrival of Laine also allows Kirby Dach to be shifted down to the second unit. This finally gives that unit a player who can provide consistent zone entries on the power play. The second unit will also include Newhook, Roy, and Mike Matheson who is also pushed down with the arrival of Hutson. Teams will have a hard time trying to stop the one timers of Caufield, Laine, and Slafkovsky when they hit the ice on the power play.
Hope for the Upcoming Season
Potentially the biggest thing that the Laine trade does is provide hope for this year. Kent Hughes stated that he wanted to give his players a legitimate chance at the playoffs this year. He felt as though they deserved the chance to take that next step. This team wasn’t making the playoffs without a big addition to the top-six and Hughes delivered on his promise. The acquisition will boost the morale of the players and it also gives them a vote of confidence from management.
It also appeases the fans and gives them some hope as well heading into the year. While the Montreal Canadiens faithful were over the moon with the pick of Ivan Demidov, he doesn’t arrive for another year. Fans needed something to be excited for this season. Adding Laine gives them some hope that they might be playing meaningful games in March or even April. The Canadiens fanbase is passionate about their team and they don’t want another year of being out of contention heading into January. Hopefully, the addition of Patrik Laine can help the team get closer to playoff contention this season.
Main photo: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
