Interest in Patrik Laine by one NHL team is deemed laughable
It appeared just last week that the Montreal Canadiens were front-runners to land Patrik Laine, but their level of interest has been deemed only minimal now.
A recent report by Canadiens journalist Eric Engels states that the Habs aren't actually as interested as many people thought, and they are only slightly interested at best. Engels squashed any Patrik Laine to Montreal rumors pretty quickly, and even said the whole situation was laughable.
«You know, I've obviously poked around on this I'm kind of laughing cuz like you know Twitter has this new for you feature and you know stuff that's been pushed to me over the last couple months or at least couple weeks, actually intensely, is you know a couple people say hey on the Canadians are front runners for Patrik Laine and it's just like I'm sitting back laughing let's be real about the situation. Patrik Laine is on the market for a reason.»
One major problem that is causing teams to remain hesitant in wanting to trade for Laine is the fact that he has just gotten out of the NHL's Player Assistance Program, so teams are not sure how healthy he is physically and mentally after having been in that program. His on-ice performance has also declined in recent seasons, and regardless of whether Laine wants a fresh start, Montreal may feel it simply is not worth the gamble, especially with his salary.
Engels also said that another factor at play here could be that Laine wouldn't want to play in the city of Montreal immediately after exiting from the NHL's program. Playing in a city like Montreal puts a tremendous amount of nonstop spotlight on players, so perhaps this would not be the best idea for a mentally fragile Laine.
The final factor that Engles believes could be blocking a Laine to Montreal trade is the fact that the team might not want to mess up the chemistry that is building in its young locker room. It's no secret that Laine has baggage, and whether that baggage is enough to disrupt an entire locker room in a negative way is a risk the Habs and GM Kent Hughes might not be willing to take.
Patrik Laine only appeared in 18 games for the Columbus Blue Jackets last year, and managed to get only 9 points, with an absolutely awful plus/minus rating of -10. He will definitely be looking to rebound from those putrid stats.
Source:
Hockey Patrol on X
Source: HockeyDB
Patrik Laine Stats
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