Blue Jackets Trade Former Top-Five Draft Pick Patrik Laine to Canadiens

Patrick Andres | Aug 19, 2024

Nov 29, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Patrik Laine (29) skates with the puck against the Montreal Canadiens in the first period at Nationwide Arena. / Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

After a largely disappointing four-year run with the Columbus Blue Jackets, forward Patrik Laine is headed back north.

The Blue Jackets traded Laine and a 2026 second-round draft pick to the Montreal Canadiens for defenseman Jordan Harris, the team announced Monday afternoon.

Laine, 26, previously came to Columbus via trade from the Winnipeg Jets on Jan. 23, 2021. The Blue Jackets missed the playoffs every season of his tenure—never finishing better than sixth in the Metropolitan Division.

The Tampere, Finland native scored at a near-point-per-game pace in both 2021-22 and 2022-23, tallying 56 points in 56 games in the former season and 52 points in 55 games in the latter. His 2024 season was shortened by a stay in the NHL and NHLPA's joint player assistance program.

As a Jet, Laine was a potent scorer who led the league with 20 power play goals in 2017-18—a season Winnipeg ended in the Western Conference final.

Laine joins a Canadiens team that has finished last in the Atlantic Division in three consecutive seasons since playing in the 2021 Stanley Cup final.