Patrik Laine has officially been cleared to return from the NHL/NHLPA Players Assistance Program, meaning he will likely get his request for a trade. Laine has made it clear that he wants a fresh start and would prefer not to play for the Columbus Blue Jackets. “Patrik’s made it clear that, even before all the changes this summer, he would like a fresh start someplace,” Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell told First Up [https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/patrik-laine-cleared-to-return-from-nhl-nhlpa-player-assistance-program-1.2153956] on TSN 1050. “We will look at it when the time comes – which hopefully is very soon – all the options. Now, I can’t rule out any options, even returning here because it takes two teams to make a trade and if there’s not a trade that makes any sense to us, then we have to just deal with what reality is.” Sean Avery Illustrates Rangers Perfect Shift Given the New York Rangers quiet offseason, maybe Chris Drury takes a flier on Laine. In order for the Rangers to make a trade happen, Columbus will need to retain some of Laine’s salary as his $8.7 million cap hit is just too much for the Rangers to take on. Laine is a high risk, high reward type player. He has the ability to score 30 plus goals a season, but injuries have plagued him through the past few years, limiting his potential. The 26-year-old played in only 18 games this past season and recorded six goals, three assists and nine points. In his second season in the league, Laine scored 44 goals, so we’ve seen how lethal he can be when healthy. Injuries are still a concern though. At the right price, Laine is a player that the Rangers should at least look into trading for.
