What the Patrik Laine trade means for the Canadiens present and future

You can write a book entitled A Tale of Two Franchises to compare and (mostly) contrast the Montreal Canadiens and the Columbus Blue Jackets, and it would be a magnum opus. Okay, maybe not the latter, but it would be an epic tale between a pair of NHL franchises who are polar opposites, and I bring this up because of the way Patrik Laine’s presence was supposed to help Columbus. 

Only he didn’t, because hardly a soul, no matter how good they are, ever truly helped the Blue Jackets long-term. This is a franchise that has had, at different times, Artemi Panarin, Sergei Bobrovsky, Laine, Rick Nash, and currently, Johnny Gaudreau, just to name a few. And it didn’t matter because the Blue Jackets, for one reason or another, could never and still can’t get it together. 

That’s never been the case with Montreal, despite the championship drought and current rebuild. You can argue that the Habs’ lack of Cups over the past three decades tarnishes their current legacy, but they still won about 10 Stanley Cups since the NHL started expanding following the 1966-67 season. 

Now, they got a former second-overall pick in Laine, who, despite a turbulent career so far, has also proven he can be among the best in the game. No, it didn’t happen with the Blue Jackets, but he looked like a brewing star in Winnipeg, and there’s an excellent chance he recreates that magic in Quebec. 

Patrik Laine trade just made the Canadiens deep at forward for 2024-25

We already knew how effective of a player Nick Suzuki would become, and he’s going to be that type of player in Quebec now and into the next decade. Cole Caufield only needed to overcome injuries, and he was good to go, and Juraj Slafkovsky required a confidence boost, which also happened last season. 

Alex Newhook is another scorer who will do his part to make the team better, as will Brendan Gallagher, and both could complete a sound top-six for 2024-25 - assuming the names mentioned comprise the unit. And best yet, every player mentioned above is under contract for multiple seasons, meaning the Habs also possess stability on what could be the top-six for the first time in a while. 

Should Laine prove to be effective and perhaps Ivan Demidov comes over as a successor to Gallagher, oh, will the Habs be fast risers in the Atlantic Division. That said, the Laine trade does something special for the Canadiens: He’s a player who, when in the right situation, has proven he can reside in a spot among the league’s better forwards. 

And at just 26, his presence also gives this young team another go-to option whose potential is up there with Slafkovsky, Suzuki, and Caufield. We won’t know anything for certain until we see Laine on the ice and playing alongside his newest teammates, but he should bring Habs fans more than a healthy dose of optimism heading into 2024-25 and beyond as a former second pick who can easily return to 40-goal per season form.