Three teams remain in the Patrik Laine sweepstakes

Patrik Laine's days in Columbus are numbered as he has requested a trade. Now there are three teams who appear to be the last ones standing to get him.

When Laine signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets, it was expected that the team was going to take great strides and compete day in and day out. Sadly that never happened, and Laine has demanded a trade. Now that he is officially out of the NHLPA's Player Assistance program, trade talks have really heated up and it appears he will call one of the three front running teams his new home.

The Montreal Canadiens initially appeared to have the best shot at acquiring Laine, however Ryan Whitney of the Spittin' Chiclets Podcast believes there are three other teams instead that are more likely to end up getting him.

If Laine stays healthy both physically and mentally, he has the potential to be one of the top scorers in the league. At an annual salary of $8.7 million, teams are sure hoping so. Out of the three teams listed above, the Calgary Flames are probably the least likely to acquire Laine, because at his salary, it wouldn't make sense considering Calgary is not in a win-now mode.

The Blue Jackets are looking for high draft picks and top prospects for Laine, and it appears that they will also retain some of his salary, which would really entice Colorado and Detroit to push hard for him right until the very end.

Source: MarkerzoneThree frontrunners emerge for 40-goal scorer Patrik Laine

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