Patrik Laine To The Utah Hockey Club Feels Like A No-Brainer

Just about every team in the league will inquire about Patrik Laine. But who will have the bravery to trade for him is the real question. Also, not many teams will have the salary to pull off a trade for Laine, but those who do could definitely benefit from his services. But it's more than who can benefit from Patrik Laine, it's also who can Patrik Laine benefit from. 

The top team for me is the Utah Hockey Club. Why? Well for starters they have $43,564,524 to spend, and they have 24 free agents across the organization. They should be able to take on some contracts and sign their RFAs with ease. 

Utah owner Ryan Smith has said that he wants to be competitive from the start. It sounds like he wants to act like an expansion franchise, and not just a downtrodden team who had to relocate. That means competing from the start of his ownership tenure. And how else do you do that? Spend money, and spend it wisely. It also sounds as if he's going to be aggressive in every aspect. 

Remember that "fresh start" that Laine wanted? Well, guess who else is getting a fresh start? The now relocated Arizona Coyotes. There isn't a better way to get the move to Salt Lake started than by bringing in a talented winger who needs a change of scenery. No offense to Columbus or Winnipeg, but Salt Lake City is very scenic and could remind him more of home. This could be exactly what Laine needs to jumpstart his career. Not that that's any consolation for Jackets fans who again, have to hear that a player no longer wants to play for the team. 

In terms of a return for Laine, I won't speculate and leave that up to the experts. Young guys like Jack McBain or one or more of Utah's 14 draft picks from this year's draft would probably get it done. 

Blue Jackets fans looking for a "win" in any Laine trade will probably be disappointed. As soon as the info was leaked that Laine wanted a new team to play for, it pretty much shot down any trade of value. 

Don Waddell will most likely take what he can get and move on. In the case of a Patrik Laine trade to Utah, it's possible Columbus won't have to retain any salary to get that done, and that should be considered an absolute win in the eyes of fans. 

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

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