The Patrik Laine saga in Columbus is likely to come to an end soon, and after their latest move, the Montreal Canadiens continue to make sense for the 26-year old. This off-season, it has been assumed that the Columbus Blue Jackets will honour the trade request of Patrik Laine, and with many teams reported to be interested, it's the Canadiens that are seemingly the front runner. Now, one reporter has suggested that the teams latest move to hire Pascal Vincent, Laine's coach in 2023/24 in Columbus could be a move that guarantees Kent Hughes will target Laine. <q>If there is anyone who can provide inside information to Canadians regarding Laine, it is Pascal Vincent. Before leading Laine in Columbus, Vincent worked for a long time in the Jets organization.</q> <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/NCloutierTVA/status/1813231019652182061'> </a></blockquote></div> While Laine only played 18 games under Vincent due to his mental health absence from the team, they spent the entire off-season together, and he can seemingly give Kent Hughes the insight to make a deal happen. The last two times that Laine played over 50 games, he tallied 26 and 22 goals, so given the Canadiens dire need for elite level talent up front, it's a move that makes sense. Given that Laine is still in the NHLPA's Player Assistance Program, it's unclear when a deal can officially take place, but with the addition of Vincent and the continued link, it makes sense that they're looking to target the 26-year old forward. Source: Habs Fanatics <a href='https://www.habsfanatics.com/nhl-team/montreal-canadiens/patrik-laine-is-one-step-closer-to-montreal-following-today-big-announcement' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Patrik Laine is one step closer to Montreal following today's big announcement</a>