Patrik Laine has been traded from the Columbus Blue Jackets to the Montreal Canadiens.
ST. PAUL - The Minnesota Wild were reportedly interested in forward Patrik Laine from the Columbus Blue Jackets. They were one of three teams in on him.
He has now been traded to the Montreal Canadiens.
Laine, 26, has two years left on his contract worth $8,700,000 a season. The historic scorer played in 18 games for the Blue Jackets last year and recorded six goals and nine points.
The 6-foot-5 forward was traded by Winnipeg to Columbus back in 2021 and has played in 174 games. In his four seasons with the Blue Jackets, Laine recorded 64 goals, 74 assists, and 138 points.
Secondary scoring and top-six help was a priority for the Wild coming into the offseason, so it seemed. The team instead spent their remaining cap space on Yakov Trenin by signing him to a four-year contract worth $3.5 million a season.
This hindered the chance for the Wild to acquire or sign a top-six forward, hence why they missed out on Laine.
Laine torched the Wild in his first four years in the league with the Jets. He had 140 goals and 250 points in his first 306 games. In his career with the Jets, Laine had ten goals and four assists for 14 points in 17 games played against the Wild and mainly torched them in the playoffs.
It seems like the team the Wild have right now will likely be the team they will head into the 2024-25 season with, baring any changes.
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