Rousing Ovation for 2024 3rd Overall pick Beckett Sennecke (Via: Derek Lee) The Columbus Blue Jackets sent forward Patrick Laine to the Montreal Canadiens Monday along with a 2016 second-round pick for defenceman Jordan Harris. Laine has played lackluster in recent years with the 60-70 point producer falling into a range around 50 points annually due to a recent run of injuries. The Finnish product has played 174 games over four seasons in Columbus and should see a boost in production with hopefully better linemates in Montreal. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWhXtCKMpDs[/embed] Boone Jenner and Johnny Gaudreau were Laine's regular linemates in the 2022-23 season as the trio played together for 246 minutes and combined for a team-best 14 goals according to Money Puck's line analytics [https://moneypuck.com/lines.htm]. On Montreal, early projections have Laine on the team's second line playing alongside Canadiens Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook. Laine should make appearances on the power play like he did in Columbus but this doesn't seem like the greatest skill change for linemates. [embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/p:C-3T_dbPtuH[/embed] His over/under for goals next season aren't listed yet but we believe he should finish around his normal point totals when he is healthy for a full season at around 60 points with more than half being goals. The biggest concern is his health as he has shown in the past he can still be the same player he has always been but injuries have limited his playing time in Columbus. The spotlight will be bigger than ever on him as Montreal will be the biggest hockey market he has ever played in and could make or break his season in terms of success. A 30-goal season out of Laine certainly isn't out of the question and could very well be a possibility as he joins a new team and will want to show what he is worth. If he can play in 60 or more games this season than an over 30 goals prop would be something I would be interested in taking. Click here [https://thehockeynews.com/betting/futures] to check out more offseason stories on future bets before it’s too late and odds change.
