Can the Montreal Canadiens afford to trade for Patrik Laine?

Patrik Laine would be a great addition for the Montreal Canadiens, but the price to acquire him would be too much for Marc Bergevin to part with.

It’s September, and usually, this would be the time where we look forward to training camp and ask what the Montreal Canadiens are going to do with their new acquisitions. But the playoffs are still going on, and the offseason for all teams doesn’t begin until October. However, it hasn’t stopped teams from making moves, and with a lot of buzz around players such as Max Domi and Patrik Laine, there could be more on the way.

As the days go by, it’s beginning to look more and more likely that Domi is going to be traded. The 25-year-old is a restricted free agent and didn’t have the best playoff performance. Domi wasn’t put in the best positions at times, being stuck on the fourth line and chronically anchored by Jordan Weal and Dale Weise, but when he got the minutes, he didn’t do much aside from his three assists in the 5-0 win over the Philadelphia Flyers.

It’s not like the Montreal Canadiens were an utter disappointment in the playoffs. They held their own and played better than many expected, but it’s obvious they need more. Insert Frank Seravalli’s Trade Bait List.

TSN put out their list of names who are most likely to be dealt with, and within the top ten are Max Domi at 8 and Patrik Laine at 5.

The Winnipeg Jets are in a similar position of wanting a change in the lineup. They have their needs, especially down the middle and at defence, and it’s possible they use one of Laine or Nikolaj Ehlers, who is also on the list at 12, to do it.

Obviously, when you hear Laine’s name as a legitimate movement to be moved, you pay attention. The 2016 second overall pick has been dubbed the second coming of Alexander Ovechkin. Laine has proved he had the potential in his first two NHL seasons, putting up 36 and 44 goals, respectively.

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His perception took a deep dive in year three. Laine had 30 goals that season, but 18 of them came in a single month, including two hat-tricks and a five-goal performance against the St. Louis Blues. Nothing else worked out well, though, as he couldn’t get the other areas of his game going, which was challenging for the Winnipeg Jets, seeing as he was a pending UFA.

Laine chose to change his game up, improving his commitment to defence at either end of the ice after signing a two-year bridge worth $6 million per season. But the Jets are still in a position where they want to move him.

Montreal Canadiens fans so badly want Marc Bergevin to pull off the trade. Patrik Laine being on the Habs, would provide the team with the no-doubt sniper they’ve been missing since Max Pacioretty. Unfortunately, it’s not going to happen; the Montreal Canadiens can’t afford Patrik Laine.

Let me rephrase that: the Habs could afford Laine, but the pieces needed to trade him would be exponential. Laine is going to be a 50-goal scorer in this league. The Winnipeg Jets know that, and they’re not going to fleece themselves by taking anything less than the price expected.

If the Habs want to acquire Laine, the Jets are likely asking for Nick Suzuki, the team’s first-round pick, and a defensive prospect with clear-cut NHL potential. Perhaps you have to throw in one of Cale Fleury or Noah Juulsen in as well.

That is a ridiculous price, but from an objective standpoint, it’ll be the price the Montreal Canadiens will have to give up. If not Suzuki, it’ll be Jesperi Kotkaniemi, and you could argue the Winnipeg Jets adjust the package accordingly. And to push things further, if Max Domi is the core centre in the deal, the Habs would need to give up more picks or even possibly Alexander Romanov to make the value work out.

Marc Bergevin isn’t paying that, and he shouldn’t.

Laine is a very attractive forward, and Laine would be amazing on the Montreal Canadiens. But based on everything Bergevin has said, Patrik Laine on the Habs is going to take a lot.