Patrik Laine shuts down trade to Western Conference team

Patrik Laine was very close to becoming a member of the Minnesota Wild, but he ultimately rejected that trade with his no-movement clause.

After months of speculation, Finnish winger Patrik Laine's tenure with the Columbus Blue Jackets came to an end. The Blue Jackets traded Laine, along with a 2026 second-round pick, to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for promising young defenseman Jordan Harris. Laine, who had struggled in Columbus, wanted a new address, and the Blue Jackets obliged. However, Montreal wasn't the only team in pursuit of the star forward.

Minnesota Wild GM Bill Guerin recently told La Velle E. Neal III of The Minnesota Star Tribune that his team had also been in on Patrik Laine. In fact, according to Guerin, the 26-year-old forward wasn't interested in the Wild. Neal further speculated that Minnesota could have been on Laine's no-trade list.

If Patrik Laine had landed in Minnesota, that would have added firepower to a team already on the rise with stars like Matt Boldy and Kirill Kaprizov, thus probably making life a little easier on head coach John Hynes. In any event, Laine selected Montreal, likely because he felt more promise in their future as the Canadiens continue to rebuild.

Now that the trade is behind him, Patrik Laine can look forward to the 2024-25 season and getting comfortable with his new team. He's already taken to the ice with some of his new teammates at the practice facility of the Canadiens, preparing for what could be a pivotal year.

This shapes up as a serious offensive threat in Montreal's top six, and while the playoff bar is probably still too high for this season, the objective for the Canadiens is improvement. If competitive and pressing hard for a wild card position into as late as March, that would be an attainment of sorts for the rebuilding franchise.

Source: Blades of SteelPatrik Laine reportedly rejected trade to Western Conference team this summer

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