Welcome to another edition of NHL Rumours! With the free agency French approaching, the buzz around the league is growing larger. Numerous big names have surfaced in trade talks and the suitors are growing. One new name has come up and it revolves around the Columbus Blue Jackets.
NHL Rumours
Rumour: Pierre Lebrun on Insider Trading reports that Patrik Laine wants a fresh start
This is not the first time that Patrik Laine has seen his name in the rumour mill. In a one for one swap, the Winnipeg Jets traded Laine to the Columbus Blue Jackets for Pierre-Luc Dubois. Dubois is now with the Los Angeles Kings and Laine is set to leave Columbus.
According to Lebrun, the two sides are working on a trade as we speak. Laine wants a fresh start and a change of scenery. That makes some sense, as the Blue Jackets have been buried at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division. The team has undergone two years of finishing in last place, despite signing star winger Johnny Gaudreau during the 2022-23 offseason.
The future is bright for the Blue Jackets. They have a young group of players and a steady presence of veterans. Losing Laine would sting but they could get a return. Also, they could recoup salary cap, as Laine has two years making $8.7 million. It’ll be interesting to see how it shakes out, but the other team would get a good player.
Acquiring Laine Has Its Perks
The latest NHL Rumours surrounding Laine are intriguing. Over the course of his career, he has flashed his lethal shot and is a scoring winger. Any team needing a boost in goal scoring should come calling. However, the biggest hurdle will be the salary cap. Maybe Columbus retains in order to facilitate a trade.
As for Laine, he’s a good player. He was a machine at point producing while with the Jets. Also, he had two straight 20 goal seasons and 50 point seasons with the Blue Jackets. During the 2023-24 season, Laine played just 18 games and finished the year with nine points.
He can play in multiple situations and even be a weapon on the power play. If given the opportunity, the reward will be high. It’ll be very interesting to see where Laine gets moved to and what team obtains his services.
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