The Montreal Canadiens and Columbus Blue Jackets have come together on a big trade.
The Canadiens have acquired Patrik Laine and a 2026 second-round pick from the Columbus Blue Jackets. In exchange, defenceman Jordan Harris will go from Montreal to Columbus.
Laine reportedly requested a trade earlier this year from Columbus but those talks were put on hold when the Finnish forward entered the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program on Jan. 28. The 26-year-old has also been dealing with a shoulder injury.
In the months after Laine entered the program, the Blue Jackets fired general manager Jarmo Kekalainen and head coach Pascal Vincent and hired Don Waddell and Dean Evason to take their places.
Laine was cleared from the program on July 26.
"We want players that want to be Blue Jackets and Patrik made it clear that he thought a change of scenery was best for him," said Waddell in a statement. "We were able to acquire a good young player in Jordan Harris while maintaining financial flexibility in this deal which was very important to us. We wish Patrik all the best."
Laine, a three-time 30-goal scorer, was limited to just 18 games last season. He has two more seasons on his contract with an $8.7 million cap hit. Notably, the Canadiens will be taking on his entire salary in the trade.
Laine joins an emerging core of star forwards in Montreal. That group includes captain Nick Suzuki, 2022 first-overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky and scoring-winger Cole Caufield. It also includes centre Kirby Dach, who missed almost the entire season with knee surgery, and Ivan Demidov, the club's first-round pick this year who could push for a spot in the NHL in a year or two.
Harris, 24, has appeared in 131 NHL games for the Canadiens. Last season he had 14 points and 86 blocked shots in 56 games.
Harris's future with Montreal was up in the air as more young defenceman in the organization pushed for playing time in the NHL. That group, which includes Arber Xhekaj, Justin Barron, Jayden Struble, Lane Hutson and Logan Mailloux made parting with Harris easier to manage for the Canadiens.
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