The Montreal Canadiens have acquired forward Patrik Laine and a 2026 second-round draft pick from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for defenseman Jordan Harris, as announced by both teams on Monday.
Laine, 26, had requested a trade from Columbus and has two seasons left on his contract with an $8.7 million cap hit. The Blue Jackets will not be retaining any of his salary.
“We want players that want to be Blue Jackets, and Patrik made it clear that he thought a change of scenery was best for him,” Columbus president and general manager Don Waddell said in a statement. “We were able to acquire a good young player in Jordan Harris while maintaining financial flexibility in this deal, which was very important to us. We wish Patrik all the best.”
Laine recorded six goals and nine points in 18 games last season. He suffered a broken clavicle in December and later entered the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program in January, exiting in July.
Injuries have limited Laine’s performance during his four seasons in Columbus, as he never played more than 60 games in a single season. Despite these setbacks, he maintained a 30-goal pace, with 64 goals in 174 games.
Laine last scored 30 goals during the 2018-19 season with the Winnipeg Jets when he was 20 years old. His career-high came the previous season when he netted 44 goals at age 19.
Selected as the No. 2 pick in the 2016 draft after Auston Matthews, Laine has accumulated 204 goals and 388 points over 480 career NHL games.
Harris, 24, contributed 14 points in 54 games last season, averaging 17:28 of ice time per game. He has one year remaining on his contract at $1.4 million and is set to become a restricted free agent next summer.
In a third-pairing role, Harris posted strong underlying statistics, leading all Montreal defensemen with 6.2 expected goals above replacement last season, according to Evolving-Hockey.
Drafted 71st overall by the Canadiens in 2018, Harris totaled 32 points in 131 games over parts of three seasons with Montreal.
