Canadiens acquire Patrik Laine, 2026 second-round pick, from Blue Jackets for Jordan Harris

Kent Hughes has made a big swing to bolster his team.

On Monday, the Montreal Canadiens acquired forward Patrik Laine and a second-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft from the Columbus Blue Jackets. In return, the Blue Jackets will be receiving defenseman Jordan Harris.

TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie was the first to break the trade.

Laine’s name had been in the trade rumor mill for a little while, with many wondering who would be willing to take a swing at the winger, who has had his share of struggles over the last few seasons.

The Finn is coming off a year in which he played just 18 games, scoring six goals and nine points. Laine hasn’t played since January 2024, when he entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance program while recovering from an upper-body injury. He was cleared to return to action last month.

His tenure in Columbus was rocky, to say the least. From his arrival after being the other piece in the Pierre-Luc Dubois trade to the Winnipeg Jets, to the 2023-24 season, Laine never found his groove with the Blue Jackets. He had been benched by former head coach John Tortorella, and was never able to find his scoring touch that made him one of the Jets’ top offensive weapons. Across four seasons with the team, he notched 64 goals and 74 assists, playing no more than 56 games in a single season.

Laine still has the ability to be a consistent scorer in the NHL. The former 40-goal scorer has a wicked shot and can make an immediate impact with the Canadiens. If he can find a way to get into a rhythm with his new team, Hughes will look like a certified genius amidst his team’s rebuild.

In 480 NHL appearances, Laine has scored 204 goals and 184 assists, including 16 points in 24 Stanley Cup Playoff games with the Jets.

Laine has two more seasons on his current contract, with an AAV of $8.7 million, making him the highest-paid Hab (outside of Carey Price). According to PuckPedia, Montreal is now $1,072,084 over the cap, but that will be erased once Price’s $10.5 million cap hit is placed on long-term injured reserve.

Harris was taken by the Canadiens in the third round of the 2018 NHL Draft. After finishing up his career at Northeastern University in 2021-22, he immediately made the jump to the NHL, and has been with Montreal ever since. In two-plus seasons with the Habs, Harris has played in 131 games, scoring eight goals and 24 assists with a plus/minus of -6. He has one year on his contract with a $1.4 million AAV, and is set to be a restricted free agent by the end of the 2024-25 season.

According to PuckPedia, the Blue Jackets have almost $18.2 million in cap space.

As a result of the deal, the Blue Jackets do not have a second-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, nor do they have one in 2025. The Canadiens have two picks in Round of the 2026 draft.