It’s not every day that a 26-year-old is considered an elder statesman, but that sort of veteran leadership is what the Montreal Canadiens hope to have acquired following a stunning trade.
On Monday afternoon, the Canadiens came out of nowhere to swing a blockbuster deal for Patrik Laine from the Columbus Blue Jackets, sending back defenceman Jordan Harris in the move.
In Laine, the Canadiens acquired a former second-overall pick from 2016, a three-time 30-goal scorer, and a player who despite recent struggles off the ice, has still managed 117 points in his last 129 games.
For Canadiens GM Kent Hughes, this trade was about more than just adding a gifted offensive talent and a top-six forward for a team in dire need of a scoring infusion. By bringing in Laine, Montreal found someone “energized” and someone they believe can be a leader for its young group.
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“If you come here ready to contribute to this team, to do everything in your power to help us get to a place. And If that’s the opportunity that you’re looking for, then say no more,” Hughes said at a media availability following the trade on Monday. “That’s what I wanna hear from you, whether you score 20 goals or 40 goals. Your success here is not going to be defined strictly by goals, it’s gonna be defined by your ability to help contribute to this team and help us.
“We’re very young. He may be only 26 but that still makes him an older statesman on the Montreal Canadiens. And we’re hoping as such that he’ll do his part to help and teach our young players.”
The Canadiens are still in the midst of their rebuild after finishing three straight seasons at the bottom of the Atlantic Division. Though they’ve managed to improve their point tallies from year to year, it was clear that the team still had a ways to go before getting back into a competitive spot.
Following the season, Hughes made it clear that the team was looking for a top-six forward. The team has yet to see an 80-point season from a player since Alex Kovalev did it in the 2007-08 campaign.
Though captain Nick Suzuki came close last year with 77, the Habs’ offence still stalled, averaging only 2.83 goals per game, the 26th-best mark in the NHL. They also finished near the bottom of the league in other offensive metrics such as shots on goal (28th), scoring chances (28th), high-danger scoring chances (26th) and expected goals (24th).
Laine has yet to breach the 80-point threshold, but his injection into the offence alongside emerging pieces like Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky and Kirby Dach could be the final piece for him or another to finally reach that mark and transform the Canadiens on that side of the ice.
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“I get more excited about really good offensive players allowing the rest of the group to learn certain things from them. And I’m hopeful that in that regard, Patrik does that,” Hughes said. “That doesn’t always happen in the game, sometimes it happens in practice … but I’m a believer that really good offensive players help other players become better.”
Laine reportedly requested a trade earlier this year from Columbus but those talks were put on hold when the Finnish forward entered the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program on Jan. 28. He was cleared from the program on July 26.
Hughes and the Canadiens organization as a whole made it clear that those past issues don’t concern them moving forward. The GM explained that he and others from the team were given permission to speak to Laine before finalizing a deal and came away comfortable with his attitude and mindset moving forward after getting a “better understanding of his journey.”
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“Everyone involved came away very, very comfortable with Patrik,” Hughes explained. “We also spoke to him about Montreal and the pressure that comes with this market, and as I said, he didn’t shy away from it at all. I think he is looking for this type of market to play in.”
They also saw Laine as being a player with a ton of still untapped potential despite netting 250 points in 306 career games in the NHL. That potential allowed them to be comfortable parting ways with a promising young defenceman in Harris, who was perhaps seen as a surplus on a team loaded with blue-line prospects.
Earlier in the off-season the team signed defencemen Kaiden Guhle to a six-year, $33.3 million extension, Arber Xhekaj to a two-year, $2.6 million extension and Justin Barron to a two-year, $2.3 million extension. The organization also has David Reinbacher, Logan Mailloux, Lane Hutson and Jayden Struble coming down the pipeline.
