Matt Vensel Of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Suggests A Patrik Laine For Reilly Smith 1-for-1 Trade

Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette suggested a trade that may send many that follow the Columbus Blue Jackets into a frenzy. Send Patrik Laine to the Pittsburgh Penguins. 

Vensel suggests that the Penguins and CBJ make a 1-for-1 hockey trade that involves sending 33-year-old Reilly Smith to the Blue Jackets in exchange for Patrik Laine. I just heard an audible gasp from the city of Columbus.

But why would these two teams ever make a trade like this? Sending Laine to a team that could punish them for the foreseeable future sounds like a disaster, right? Maybe Vensel is on to something though. 

He suggests that by sending Laine to the Penguins, it not only helps the Penguins by putting him next to future hall-of-famers like Crosby, Malkin, and Karlsson, but it helps the CBJ as well. The Jackets not only rid themselves of Laine's contract but could also flip Smith to another team for other pieces such as picks most likely. Yeah, Vensel is definitely on to something. 

Once the secret was out that Laine wanted out of Columbus, the potential return for him essentially went to zero, and Jackets fans have been plenty warned not to expect much in return. New GM Don Waddell has his work cut out for him, but if they don't want to eat any of Laine's contract, swinging a deal like this would make too much sense. Vensel also mentions that this Laine experiment would only be for two years, and if it doesn't work, it doesn't hurt the Pens long-term. 

So to recap, send Laine and his $8.7 million cap hit to Pittsburgh in exchange for Reilly Smith, who makes $5 million next season and will be an unrestricted free agent in 2025. Waddell could then flip Smith to a team that could send back some draft capital. Got all that? Reilly has an 8-team no-trade list, so he would need to waive it if the CBJ were on that list. However, if it meant flipping him to another team, he could very well make it happen. 

The important thing to remember is that this trade is more about getting Laine out of Columbus with his salary and getting something in return. Reilly Smith would probably never play for the CBJ in this scenario. Freeing up that money would be huge for the Jackets. 

Blue Jackets fans hate the thought of ever trading with Pittsburgh, but it's been done before and worked out (see Nylander for Bemström trade). After much thought, this could actually work. 

What do you think? Please share your thoughts on our forum.

More From THN Columbus