Writers Weigh In: Discussing Laine’s Acquisition

The Habs made a big splash on the trade front earlier this week with the acquisition of Patrik Laine and a 2026 second-round pick from Columbus in exchange for Jordan Harris.  Our writers offer up their thoughts on the swap.

Terry Costaris: I never expected that Laine would be traded to the Montreal Canadiens. All the rumours involved hyper-inflated costs. I have to give Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes major kudos for patiently waiting for the Laine market to depress to this extent.

Yes, there is a good chance that things will not pan out in terms of Laine turning his highly promising game around. However, aside from costing Geoff Molson a lot of money over the next two years, this was a classic example of buying low for Montreal.

Don’t get me wrong. I REALLY like Harris and am certain that he will have a long career in the NHL as a number 4-5 defender. He will be missed but Montreal has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to left defencemen.

Fortunately for Harris, he will no longer be incessantly mentioned as trade bait by both fans and media.

Columbus had no choice but to trade Laine and the market was such that they had to include a second-round pick as a sweetener. This pick may be used to select a player of Harris’ quality or perhaps more.

So, when all is said and done, Montreal is taking a huge swing on a young, potential superstar player, who may have turned his life and career around for what amounts to a large sum of money over the next two years.

I’ll do this kind of trade without hesitation, every day of the week and twice on Sunday.

Allan Katz: I never wanted a Laine trade because I always believed the price would be too high for such a troubled asset. The first suggested trade I heard about Laine was over a year ago and it had Kaiden Guhle going the other way; a horrible suggestion.

Now I really appreciate Harris; he’s a great human being, as smart as they get, a solid hockey player, skates like the wind, and has the potential to still grow. His ceiling and floor are both in the bottom four pairings. Can be an above-replacement talent for ten years.

Laine has multiple red flags and could be injury-prone, socially problematic (being polite here), overpriced, ineffective, and lazy. He might never score 40 goals again, it’s been years, and he might not hit 30 in a full season. But, and this is a big butt, and depending on your tastes a beautiful butt. Laine has spent the last year learning about himself, finding his challenges and confronting them. If his work pays off, if the Habs brass is there for him, if he bonds with the young and upcoming Habs, he could shake off the rust and score 30 goals and 70 points this year and maybe more next year. In other words, his potential is way above replacement value; not so much the superstar level he once approached, but possibly a potential “All-Star” candidate, which will make everyone very happy.

The second-round pick is the cherry on top of either a German Fudge Double Chocolate Cake or on top of a prune bar. FYI: Jordan Harris was a third-round pick!

Finally, the question is what’s next. The defence is set up with more than enough contenders to start the year in Montreal. I could see Jayden Struble in the AHL and a waived veteran playing #7D. The team could use losing an excess forward, but that will be in the hands of what is a very impressive management team.

Brian La Rose: Earlier this summer, we heard Montreal was interested in a short-term upgrade and was willing to pay an above-market premium for the right fit.  We know they were in on Jonathan Marchessault and planned to be in on Patrick Kane.  Laine is another player like that, just several years younger.

One of the positives for his sake is that he’s coming to a different situation.  In Winnipeg, he was drafted as their intended franchise player.  Columbus acquired him hoping he’d be that player.  In Montreal, we’re not even sure they’re looking at him playing on the top line let alone being the franchise forward.  While he’s coming to a more pressure-filled market, he should have the benefit of easing into things somewhat.  Given what he’s coming back from, that’s a good thing.

There are some questions that come to mind, however.  Laine works best when he’s with a top playmaking centre.  Assuming he’s not on the top line with Nick Suzuki, can Kirby Dach be that player?  And if he can’t be, do they have to shake up the top line to try to find that fit?  And if so, what type of ripple effect is there?  On paper, this is a good fit but he’s coming off a particularly bad showing in his limited action from last season so how can they try to make history not repeat itself?

The other question is how he’ll be deployed on the power play.  Believe it or not, he hasn’t been a high-scoring power play player recently.  Over the last three seasons, only 32 of his 117 points came with the man advantage.  Do the Habs load up with shooters on the top unit or do they drop one down (whether it’s Laine or someone else) to give the second group something resembling a dangerous shooting threat?  While he hasn’t been a great threat on the power play, I could see him helping turn what has been a moribund group into something semi-passable.  (Baby steps…)

It’s also worth at least noting the possible opportunity cost in this type of short-term commitment.  While I see some saying that his $8.7M price tag doesn’t matter as much when you have $20M in expiring contracts, remember the new deals coming next year for Juraj Slafkovsky (+$6.65M from his current cap hit) and Kaiden Guhle (+$4.63M).  Add Laine to that and the money from the expirings is nearly already spent.  And if this contract pushes the Habs into LTIR, add another seven-figure bonus overage to the 2025-26 books.  This could hinder their pursuit of a top-end piece over the next 12 months or so should one actually become available (and that’s a big if in itself).

But that said, the best-case scenario is that Laine becomes that top-end piece and those are hard to come by.  To get one for an acquisition cost that is relatively low (all due respect to Harris who is a capable defender) is a move that’s well worth making.  If Laine pans out, he’s young enough to be part of the longer-term plans if there’s mutual interest in extending things.  If he doesn’t, it’s not a long-term crippling contract and honestly, a trade with retention next summer isn’t a crazy concept either. Montreal’s patience in July turned out to be the prudent move and the upcoming season just got a lot more interesting as a result.

Kevin Leveille: Anyone who follows me on social media, or listens to the HabsWorld podcast, knows that I’ve been saying the Habs should acquire Laine since it’s been public that he asked out of Columbus. I truly believe that this player will be a Radulov-like home run for the Habs and that this acquisition was a better value add to the team at this point in the rebuild than a Martin Necas or Rutger McGroarty would have been.

Laine comes to Montreal as a top-end talent who has had to deal with some stuff off the ice. He is getting one last kick at the can to show he can handle the rigours of an NHL season from a mental and physical point of view. The Habs get to give him that chance with little risk or cost associated.

The monetary value is high, but the Habs have the cap space and have signed their players to excellent deals. The term is nice and short so if I’m wrong and it doesn’t work, he’s easy to dispatch, whether that is through trade, waivers, or even a buyout. If it does work and both sides want to keep it going, try to get him at a number that fits the current team cap structure.

For everyone suggesting the off-ice issues are too much and that he won’t be able to handle the bright lights of Montreal, I think one must consider that he’s played in two quiet markets so far, so the “big stage” is untested in this case. The off-ice stuff was also heavily skewed towards life events over substance and party issues, so I don’t really think this is a real concern in this case.

Finally, the deal itself. I like Harris as a player, but the Habs had to deal a defender and too many in their current system have similar floors with higher ceilings, so I’m not shocked he was the one moved. That the Habs got an extra 2nd rounder for the Jackets not to retain on Laine is a nice throw-in too. Again, a high-upside move with little risk involved where even if Laine doesn’t work, the Habs haven’t given up much to try it. This is a slam dunk in my book.

Norm Szcyrek: I was very surprised and pleased to hear about Montreal acquiring Laine.  The risk is relatively low for the Habs. When Laine is healthy, he can produce offence.  Even after a subpar last season, he was still one of the top shooters in the league in some advanced stats categories, rating higher than Cole Caufield.  Like many key Canadien players, he has to stay injury-free to be effective and help the team reach their next level.  Giving up Harris was an easy loss to absorb given the team’s defensive depth on the left side.

Oren Weizman: Before you break out the celebratory champagne and karaoke machines, it’s worth asking as Tony Braxton sang, “Same script, different cast.”

Yeah, I know Deborah Cox was also singing but don’t judge me, you’re gonna tell me you remember Josh DeWolf in the Sheldon Souray trade? Quick extra trivia points for those who can name a Habs first-rounder who also played for St. Cloud and ended up not panning out in Montreal like DeWolf.

Now, I’m not here to draw negative comparisons and say this deal echoes Marc Bergevin’s trade that sent Mikhail Sergachev packing for the unpredictable Drouin.

Let’s be clear—Laine has shown over the years that he can be one of the league’s most potent offensive weapons. If you want a more apt comparison, think back to the Kovalev trade and remember how the Bell Centre buzzed during the Gainey era when “L’Artiste” graced the ice. I still have the DVD, by the way.

But let’s keep it realistic. Laine might not replicate the impact Kovalev had on the Habs, but at his peak, with the support of Montreal’s heavyweights and playmakers, he could turn the team into a serious playoff contender until Demidov dons the CH.

However…

A word of caution to Laine’s camp: if he’s perceived as giving a half-hearted effort or failing to learn from past mistakes, Montreal’s history is filled with scorers who lost their touch here—Mike Cammalleri, Mariusz Czerkawski, Sergei Samsonov, and one name Laine should strive to avoid, Alex Semin.

As for the Canadiens’ side of the deal, the only tangible loss is Harris. In Columbus, Harris will have the chance to showcase his potential with more ice time, making this a trade worth watching closely.

Dave Woodward: Finally, an acquisition that potentially moves the needle for the upcoming season.  I understand and agree with Hughes’ refusal to overpay or grant too much term to a free agent at this stage of the rebuild.  And the signings that locked up Guhle and Slafkovsky will most likely turn out to be positive in the medium to long term.  This scribbler is also excited about their 2024 draft, where they finally acquired a potential offensive superstar in Ivan Demidov and another forward, Michael Hage, who projects as another player who can develop into a top-six forward.

However, none of these decisions and moves improve the 2024-25 roster.  Prior to Laine’s acquisition, it looked like the Habs were largely going to stand pat and ice the same lineup that finished fifth last in 2023-24.  To be sure, the Canadiens’ younger players will grow organically but certainly not enough to be competitive.  With Laine, they now have a legitimate top-six group of forwards.  Are they elite?  No.  Unless their younger players progress and break out, they still lack a superstar forward.  Will they make the playoffs with Laine?  Probably not.  However, between the Laine acquisition and the organic growth of their young roster (and possibly some of their prospects), they may just fight for a playoff spot for a while and play some meaningful games in March.  That represents progress.  And progress beats another dismal season.  Losing can become chronic.  Just ask the Buffalo Sabres who have not made the playoffs in over a decade.

Did the Canadiens give up too much?  Harris is a fine young defenceman who will most likely play at the NHL level for a decade or more.  By all accounts, he has a great deal of character.  Harris is a significant asset and he will be missed.  Why move Harris as opposed to the other left-handed defenders?  Harris is not as physical as Guhle, Arber Xhekaj, or Struble.  Further, his puck-moving and offensive skills are not substantially better than them.  And Lane Hutson is about to arrive.  With Mike Matheson in the lineup as well, someone had to go.  The back end, particularly on the left side, is crowded.  The Canadiens had (and still have) a surplus of talented young defenders on the left side and a glaring need for top-six forwards who can score.  The fit is there and they only gave up one of their defenders to address the biggest hole in their lineup.

There are other aspects to the deal which should not be overlooked.  Laine’s cap hit is substantial.  In 2024-25, he will be the highest-paid forward on the team ($8.7 million) and Columbus retained no salary.  The Canadiens are taking on a significant risk in assuming Laine’s full salary as Laine has just exited the Player Assistance Program.  That said, Laine’s contract runs for two more years.  It expires well before the Canadiens are expected to contend.

The Laine contract is no doubt a reason why the Canadiens received a 2026 second-round pick in the deal.  The significance of the pick should not be underestimated.  Columbus may remain in the lower tier of the league for a while.  If that happens, the second-rounder could be almost equivalent to a late first-round pick.  This is a nice addition to the deal that can be used by the Habs to select a good prospect or parlayed into other assets.

On balance, the deal makes sense.  Harris is a good young defenceman with a reasonable cap hit and will be under team control for a few years yet.  That is an attractive asset but the logjam on the left side of the Habs blueline makes him expendable.  The Habs inherit what currently looks like a bad contract but it is with a player who is a proven scorer at the NHL level when he’s healthy, mentally and physically and Laine is only 26 years old.  The Canadiens have cap space and a desperate need for top-six forwards who can score.  Hughes dealt a player that may not fit into their long-term plans.  He used the cap space, took on the risk of the bad contract for two years (outside of their projected competitive window) and received what is likely to be a high second-round pick for his trouble.  Not a bad piece of work.