Patrik Laine’s trade to the Montreal Canadiens has fans of the historic NHL organization “so pumped.”
On Monday, the Habs acquired the 26-year-old winger from Finland in a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets, sending defenceman Jordan Harris down south.
Montreal also received a second-round pick in the 2026 NHL draft from Columbus as part of the deal.
Laine, the second-overall pick in the 2016 NHL draft, had six goals and three assists in 18 games with the Blue Jackets last season.
The six-foot-five, 215-pound winger has appeared in 480 regular season games over eight NHL seasons with the Winnipeg Jets and the Blue Jackets, scoring 204 goals and adding 184 assists – something Montreal fans are excited about.
“I’m so pumped!” wrote X user @BaileyLarouche in part on Monday night.
“I’m so excited for the future of this team.”
‘This team needs 50, 55 goals’: Analyst
Laine helped Finland win the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship in Helsinki with seven goals and six assists in seven games, in addition to being named to the tournament’s all-star team.
He signed a four-year, US$34.8 million contract extension with the Blue Jackets on July 22, 2022.
Global News hockey analyst Brian Wilde said Laine, who came into the league as a goal scorer, will need to help Montreal put the puck in the net.
“I’ve been saying for a very long time that this team needs 50, 55 goals. This summer they drafted this guy who’s just maybe the best player in the entire draft in Ivan Demidov – that’s a lot of goals. And then Patrik Laine comes, that’s a lot of goals,” he said.
“They’ve got a top six. They can start competing.”
Laine broke his clavicle on Dec. 14, 2023, then had a setback delaying his recovery from the injury on Jan. 27.
He entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program the next day, saying on social media he wanted to prioritize his mental health, and was cleared to return on July 26.
X user @talk_canadiens on Tuesday was optimistic Laine will light up the lamp in Montreal.
“Patrik Laine is about to make people remember who he is,” they wrote.
“Habs fans, be ready! #Snipeshow”
— with files from The Canadian Press