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Kristen Shilton, ESPN NHL reporter
The Columbus Blue Jackets traded Patrik Laine and a 2026 second-round pick to the Montreal Canadiens on Monday in exchange for defenseman Jordan Harris. No salary was retained by the Blue Jackets in the transaction as Montreal took on all of the remaining two years of Laine’s contract.
Which GM did better in the swap? Here are our grades:
Canadiens grade: A-
This is a superb move for the Canadiens. Laine has potential to bring the firepower Montreal has been lacking and give its offense a much-needed veteran boost. Grabbing a second-round draft pick to go along with him makes the deal even sweeter and gives the Canadiens further flexibility to wheel and deal or stock the cupboards over the next several months.
Laine is the real focus, though. While Montreal’s young stars like Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki have been admirably holding up their end of the bargain with high-end contributions up front, the Canadiens required depth contributors, and Laine should easily help fill that void. The biggest struggle for Laine has been staying healthy and maintaining his consistency, though. Nearly every season of his career has presented Laine with injury challenges offsetting his ability to be the kind of game-changer he set out to be when entering the league as a second overall pick in 2016. So, there is some risk here for Montreal in having him on board, especially after Laine was limited to just 18 games last season through being hurt and spending time in the NHL’s Player Assistance Program. Laine has two seasons remaining on his current deal with an $8.7 million annual cap hit, something the Canadiens (unlike many clubs) had the space to take on entirely.
But there’s no question that when Laine’s rolling, he has the scoring prowess (and six 20-plus goal seasons under his belt) and talent to create chances off the rush that should elevate Montreal’s top six in a significant way. And the two-year term is perfect for where Montreal is in its rebuilding process.
The trade is Laine’s third since being drafted by Winnipeg, and it’s perhaps the most important to date. He and Columbus both needed a fresh start from one another after a few too many tumultuous patches. Laine should be well embraced by Canadiens fans given what he can do for the team’s offense, and Laine shouldn’t be burdened with expectations to be a face of the franchise (Suzuki and Caufield have that handled). There’s an opportunity now for Laine to just focus on his game, his health and finding that elusive consistency that allows him to truly shine.
Blue Jackets grade: B
Blue Jackets’ GM Don Waddell said in best in a post-trade statement: Laine was clear on wanting a change of scenery, and Columbus wasn’t looking to keep anyone around who didn’t want to be a part of its team.
Waddell was able to give Laine his freedom without holding onto any salary. That’s a huge win right there for Columbus. Less of a victory is having to part with a second-round choice in the deal, too. If that was the only way to get Laine completely off the books though, then Waddell likely knew he wouldn’t find that caveat with another trade partner and felt it was worth losing a significant piece of draft capital.
Harris is an interesting addition for the Blue Jackets, though. He’s a 24-year-old defender who’s been solid as a third-pairing option for Montreal over the past two seasons. The Canadiens’ logjam of blueliners — including Arber Xhekaj, Justin Barron and Logan Mailloux — may have limited Harris’ opportunities, and going to Columbus will potentially offer him more room to grow. And the Blue Jackets can certainly use any help to boost their back end, considering they finished the 2023-24 season allowing the second-most goals against in the league (3.63). If Harris could emerge as a second pairing choice for Columbus, then he could find a home with the Blue Jackets for several years to come.