Confirmed Trade: [MTL/CBJ] Patrik Laine, '26 2nd for Jordan Harris

[ReHabs]

You can't have it both ways.

If you aren't competing, then having laine provides 0 benefit since you only have control over him over the next 2 years. (and if you trade him for I assume a 1st, 16 mill is a hefty price to pay for a 1st+2nd)

And if you are competing, then the cap hit matters

Your argument fails both ways

Just because a team doesn’t have the pieces and chemistry to consider itself a competitive one prior to player acquisition does not mean it should not make attempts to improve the roster. This isn’t a on-off switch, it isn’t binary where a team goes from Bad to Good with a press of a button.

Teams have to build up, often iteratively, and Laine could prove to be part of that competitive roster even as early as this season.

Claiming that a young, offense-starved team doesn’t have any chance to benefit from the acquisition of a skilled forward because its current roster isn’t sufficiently skilled at forward… is a very bad take. D-.

If the Habs are splurging big futures it would be one thing, but they explicitly did not do anything of the sort.

As for the cap hit… the core pieces are all signed and extended. Carey Price’s 10.5m LTIR hasn’t even been touched the last two off-seasons. Plenty of cap inefficient depth guys are moving on next summer and the one after to be replaced by cheaper AND better options.

Laine was a perfect trade for the Habs BECAUSE of his high cap hit. The Habs got paid to try him out… the only other chance the Habs would have would be to sign him as a UFA. He gives the Habs a super deluxe two year trial period before he becomes a 28-year old UFA, which is typically the age players become UFA in the first place.

Either way that the evaluation goes, the Habs have the inside track and will make an extremely well-informed decision at that time.

So it is short, medium, and long term upside for the Habs.

 

[Frank Drebin]

Remember when the Coyotes were mocked by everyone for taking on older players and bad contracts for picks and basically being the NHL's retirement home?

I do
Is your post missing a punchline?

 

[Nick Lang]

Laine takes away opportunity for young players.

In fact, he's likely to take away opportunity from one of Juraj Slafkofsky or Kirby Dach on PP1

Aha, I'm not even a primary Habs fan but you're just getting desperate now. Getting high draft picks, and possibly a very good player to support the youth, is a good thing. Especially if the cap is inconsequential. It's not your money.

I like the move. Low risk for a possible huge reward. They needed to make some strides and this is a good swing.

 

[ReHabs]

Aha, I'm not even a primary Habs fan but you're just getting desperate now. Getting high draft picks, and possibly a very good player to support the youth, is a good thing. Especially if the cap is inconsequential. It's not your money.

I like the move. Low risk for a possible huge reward. They needed to make some strides and this is a good swing.

No dude! You don’t get it… what if he improves the Powerplay?? What then?!

 

[Lazytrout]

No dude! You don’t get it… what if he improves the Powerplay?? What then?!

Well it might even prevent the player who'd lose his spot on pp1 to earn a bigger play check in 2 years, the horror!

 

[Nick Lang]

No dude! You don’t get it… what if he improves the Powerplay?? What then?!

Oh yeah I forgot, Slafkovsky and Dach will both spontaneously combust. I forgot how that works.

 

[Kennedys]

Laine is bad and Jordan Harris is the next bobby Orr.

 

[Lazytrout]

[MOD]

Laine is bad and Jordan Harris is the next bobby Orr.

that Cryptopsy pfp is such a throwback

 

[scholl]

Your argument fails both ways

Just because a team doesn’t have the pieces and chemistry to consider itself a competitive one prior to player acquisition does not mean it should not make attempts to improve the roster. This isn’t a on-off switch, it isn’t binary where a team goes from Bad to Good with a press of a button.

Teams have to build up, often iteratively, and Laine could prove to be part of that competitive roster even as early as this season.

Claiming that a young, offense-starved team doesn’t have any chance to benefit from the acquisition of a skilled forward because its current roster isn’t sufficiently skilled at forward… is a very bad take. D-.

If the Habs are splurging big futures it would be one thing, but they explicitly did not do anything of the sort.

As for the cap hit… the core pieces are all signed and extended. Carey Price’s 10.5m LTIR hasn’t even been touched the last two off-seasons. Plenty of cap inefficient depth guys are moving on next summer and the one after to be replaced by cheaper AND better options.

Laine was a perfect trade for the Habs BECAUSE of his high cap hit. The Habs got paid to try him out… the only other chance the Habs would have would be to sign him as a UFA. He gives the Habs a super deluxe two year trial period before he becomes a 28-year old UFA, which is typically the age players become UFA in the first place.

Either way that the evaluation goes, the Habs have the inside track and will make an extremely well-informed decision at that time.

So it is short, medium, and long term upside for the Habs.

Trying to sign players with a high cap hit gives also credibility. It shows fans, other teams and the whole hockey world that they are not there to lose. Florida did the same when they signed Bobrovsky and tried to sign Panarin. Before that there was a lot of relocation talk going on, which stopped.

Montreal is a hockey crazy market where making money isn't a huge problem. Therefore I wouldn't care less how much he earns. The salary becomes problem only if he plays badly and earns more than other guys in the locker room.

If everything works out well in Montreal, Laine isn't going to sign where he gets the most money but where he feels comfortable being (in that case MTL).

 

[Mulletman]

Man you need the guy to play with McDavid to get good or what like at least give us a chance with him Mulletman

Give you a chance?! You guys have a terrible track record with guys who's given Montreal Canadiens a chance. Since Laine was born back in the 1997-98 season the record for most points by a Canadiens player is held by Kovalev with just 84 points (tied for the 261st best point scoring season in that timeframe). The record for most goals by a canadiens player is held by Pacioretty with just 39 goals (tied for the 198th best goal scoring season in that timeframe). The record for most assists by a Canadiens player is held by Koivu with just 53 assists (tied for the 272nd best assist scoring season in that timeframe). That's 26 seasons of terrible track records.
The list of players who's joined the canadiens just to see their offensive numbers take a nosedive is way too long to list. It's understandable that HFBoards as a whole doesn't have much faith in Canadiens being the team that can put Laine back on track for the Hall of fame...

 

[Kennedys]

Laine will fail in Montreal because Koivu has 53 assists 17 years ago.

 

[OneSharpMarble]

Wow some serious reaching going on here to try and spin this in a bad way. HF posters worried about a billionaires pocket book xD

 

[Raistlin]

It's so fitting that he was traded for PLD, both turned out to be poison pill players. I knew from the day pre draft when he took his interview lying in bed and the subsequent video game addiction talk that this guy would be an issue. Now with Portzine and Waddell's stories about his time in CBJ and how the vets wanted to force him out, I think there is no way you should keep this guy around young players no matter how many goals he scores.

 

[I Hate Blake Coleman]

His career has been such a disappointment. But he's still young. If he scores timely goals, they'll love Laine in Montreal.

 

[Fatass]

It's so fitting that he was traded for PLD, both turned out to be poison pill players. I knew from the day pre draft when he took his interview lying in bed and the subsequent video game addiction talk that this guy would be an issue. Now with Portzine and Waddell's stories about his time in CBJ and how the vets wanted to force him out, I think there is no way you should keep this guy around young players no matter how many goals he scores.

Are those articles in the thread? I must have missed them. Link?

 

[Habs Halifax]

Well, he wanted to come because it was either that or stay in Columbus, where he didn't want to be.

He wanted out of Columbus yes but was very open to Montreal. Are you saying he only said yes to Montreal because it was his only option? Not sure I think it was that way but it's possible.

 

[elmaco]

It's so fitting that he was traded for PLD, both turned out to be poison pill players. I knew from the day pre draft when he took his interview lying in bed and the subsequent video game addiction talk that this guy would be an issue. Now with Portzine and Waddell's stories about his time in CBJ and how the vets wanted to force him out, I think there is no way you should keep this guy around young players no matter how many goals he scores.

Source: trust me bro

 

[waitin425]

It's so fitting that he was traded for PLD, both turned out to be poison pill players. I knew from the day pre draft when he took his interview lying in bed and the subsequent video game addiction talk that this guy would be an issue. Now with Portzine and Waddell's stories about his time in CBJ and how the vets wanted to force him out, I think there is no way you should keep this guy around young players no matter how many goals he scores.

Why do you think he is such a big personality that he can somehow change the course of our young players development and not the other way around?

The only worry would be a locker room distraction if former issues arise. Otherwise he will have to be the one to fall in line. Our chemistry is fully established at this point and if you followed this team you would know that.

 

[Andy]

Laine takes away opportunity for young players.

In fact, he's likely to take away opportunity from one of Juraj Slafkofsky or Kirby Dach on PP1

There are exactly 0 young players that Laine is taking opportunity away from. He will likely replace Newhook on PP1, leaving Slafkovsky where is on the first unit.

Slotting Dach and Newhook on PP2 is actually a good thing, as the habs second unit was atrocious.

This is a good example of why the habs needed Laine. Their offensive talent is very thin.

Every attempt you try to spin this as a negative actually just ends up highlighting how this trade was a gamble the habs needed to take.

 

[Natey]

There are exactly 0 young players that Laine is taking opportunity away from. He will likely replace Newhook on PP1, leaving Slafkovsky where is on the first unit.

Slotting Dach and Newhook on PP2 is actually a good thing, as the habs second unit was atrocious.

This is a good example of why the habs needed Laine. Their offensive talent is very thin.

Every attempt you try to spin this as a negative actually just ends up highlighting how this trade was a gamble the habs needed to take.

And it's barely a gamble.

He plays well this year? Montreal could resign him at a decent price.

He plays well this year? Montreal could trade him for a very, very good package to continue helping the rebuild.

He plays bad this year? It's just cap space we don't really need yet.

Harris is a decent player. Should have a lengthy NHL career. But he's a small bottom pairing guy playing a position you usually want size. And his ceiling isn't much higher than he already is, maybe a solid #4 in his prime.

 

[catmanhabsfan]

We'll know if Montreal wins their bet based on Laine's next contract. If he extends, at a discount, in Montreal, it was worthwhile. If he leaves as a UFA, then it was a worthy gamble but it will have failed.

I just can't see him extending at his current salary.

Columbus chose to cut bait, taking a middling return to avoid an ongoing drama.

Not really a fail. Then it becomes Harris for a 2nd to clear room om defense which we had to do

 

[Scintillating10]

I just want to hear @Scintillating10 opinion on how much of a winner Laine is.

For the record Habs fans I like the move. Just based on stuff he’s said he certainly shouldn’t like it. I want to see this spin zone.

Stay tuned everyone…

Laine not a winner? Is that why you guys dumped him without retention? Because retention he's going to fetch high end asset.

I don't know Laine well. Yes I been accused many times to be astute judge of hockey talent. But what I see? Looking at his past stats, the two seasons on Colombus before last he was point a game player. Playing for bad team without high end center. I see considerable upside there. I know last year his play fell way off but i attribute some of that to mental issues.

I think injuries going to be his biggest hurdle. I remember he was injured before going on mental health program. Forget what injury was off top of my head. Shoulder I think?

 

[Andy]

And it's barely a gamble.

He plays well this year? Montreal could resign him at a decent price.

He plays well this year? Montreal could trade him for a very, very good package to continue helping the rebuild.

He plays bad this year? It's just cap space we don't really need yet.

Harris is a decent player. Should have a lengthy NHL career. But he's a small bottom pairing guy playing a position you usually want size. And his ceiling isn't much higher than he already is, maybe a solid #4 in his prime.

Yup. You know it's the right move when literally 99.9% are finally happy about a move. Never happens.

 

[dgibb10]

Well it might even prevent the player who'd lose his spot on pp1 to earn a bigger play check in 2 years, the horror!

Well, with kirby dach, since every single ounce of his production comes from the PP it's pretty significant.

 

[CTHabsfan]

Give you a chance?! You guys have a terrible track record with guys who's given Montreal Canadiens a chance. Since Laine was born back in the 1997-98 season the record for most points by a Canadiens player is held by Kovalev with just 84 points (tied for the 261st best point scoring season in that timeframe). The record for most goals by a canadiens player is held by Pacioretty with just 39 goals (tied for the 198th best goal scoring season in that timeframe). The record for most assists by a Canadiens player is held by Koivu with just 53 assists (tied for the 272nd best assist scoring season in that timeframe). That's 26 seasons of terrible track records.
The list of players who's joined the canadiens just to see their offensive numbers take a nosedive is way too long to list. It's understandable that HFBoards as a whole doesn't have much faith in Canadiens being the team that can put Laine back on track for the Hall of fame...

A long list of players have seen their offensive numbers nosedive after joining the Canadiens? Really, like who (please don't list guys that came at the tail end of their careers)? Better yet, tell me about the players whose offensive numbers have nosedived after coming to Montreal during the Gorton/Hughes era.