The Columbus Blue Jackets traded Patrik Laine with a 2026 second-round pick to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Jordan Harris.

Patrik Laine is headed back north.

The Montreal Canadiens acquired Laine from the Columbus Blue Jackets, along with a second-round pick in the 2026 NHL draft, in exchange for defenseman Jordan Harris.

"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," Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell said in a press release. "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, 26, played 18 games last season, recording six goals and nine points. He spent time in the NHL and NHLPA player assistance program to focus on his mental health, and he dealt with multiple injuries, including a fractured clavicle.

The Tampere, Finland, native has two seasons left on his contract with an $8.7-million cap hit. The second-overall pick in 2016 first joined the Blue Jackets in a trade in January 2021 from the Winnipeg Jets.

Harris, meanwhile, had three goals and 11 assists for 14 points in 56 games last season for the Canadiens. The 24-year-old has played parts of three seasons in the NHL, recording 24 assists and 32 points in 131 career games. Montreal originally selected Harris in the third round, 71st overall, in 2018.

Harris is in the second year of a two-year contract worth $1.4 million per year. Barring a contract extension, he'll become an RFA afterward.

On Friday, Waddell told TSN that Laine had wanted a trade before the new GM joined the team, saying there were some "things going on in the locker room." Waddell added at the time he had difficulty finding the right trade because of the cap hit but that there were a couple of teams he was speaking to.

With the move, the Blue Jackets didn't retain any salary and freed $7.3 million in cap space. They now have nearly $18.2 million in cap space, and Harris could slot into their NHL lineup.

The Canadiens, meanwhile, are a projected $1.07 million over the salary cap. That said, Montreal announced on July 26 that forward Rafael Harvey-Pinard will miss at least the first month of the season due to a broken leg. If he goes on long-term injured reserve, the Canadiens can exceed the salary cap by up to all of his $1.1-million cap hit to become cap-compliant.

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