How Patrik Laine Wil Help The Montreal Canadiens
TSN: TSN Hockey Analyst Frankie Corrado joined Laura Diakun on SportsCentre and was asked about the Patrik Laine trade to Montreal and why it made sense for the Montreal Canadiens.
** NHLRumors.com Transcriptions
The Columbus Blue Jackets Trade Patrik Laine to the Montreal Canadiens
Laura Diakun: “The fireworks are on this Monday, as August is starting to inch to a close. We’ve got our hockey analyst Frankie Corrado joining us now. And yeah, the big news, Patrik Laine is now a member of the Montreal Canadiens. Frankie, your initial thoughts on the deal for Montreal.”
Frankie Corrado: “It makes sense for Montreal. Like this is a player that you can try and make a bet on that has something there. He hasn’t been able to achieve it for a number of reasons over the last few years, the main one being he just can’t stay healthy.
You know, last year was a little bit of a write-off, but in the prior two seasons, he’s right around a point-per-game player, and he’s on pace to be almost a 70-80-point guy. So the talent is there for Patrik Laine and the expectations for the Montreal Canadiens is not exactly to make the playoffs right now, so it’s a safe bet that you can try and bring him in, into an environment where you can see what he’s got, and not have to put him in a pressure, packed situation for his own sake, because we know what he’s been coming off in Winnipeg and Columbus.
I think it’s a smart move by the Montreal Canadiens to try and see if you can get Patrick Laine back to where he was.”
Where Does Patrik Laine Fit in with Montreal?
TSN: TSN Hockey Montreal Canadiens Reporter Kenzie Lalonde joined Laura Diakun on SportsCentre and was asked about the Patrik Laine trade to Montreal and why it made sense for the Montreal Canadiens.
** NHLRumors.com Transcriptions
Laura Diakun: “Welcoming in someone who knows a lot about these Canadiens. It’s our Montreal reporter Kenzie Lalonde and Kenzie, where do you see Patrik Laine fitting in on this roster?”
Kenzie Lalonde: “I’m excited, Laura, because this is a timeline that fits the Montreal Canadians. You look at this deal, it’s a top six for with an expiration date. So yes, $8.7 million for the next two years. That’ll be sizable. The Canadiens are also getting a second-round pick in the 2026 draft. They also have the cap space to do a deal like this.
Can Patrik Laine Get Back To Being A Goal Scorer for Montreal?
And then you look at the on-ice ability and how this really loosens up the log jam on defense for the Montreal Canadiens as Jordan Harris now goes over to Columbus. It presents that opportunity now for Kent Hughes and Martin St. Louis to maybe give some leeway here to Logan Mailloux, Lane Hutson, and David Reinbacher to get some reps here next season and start their pro careers.
So that’s also exciting how it’s opening up the defensive court, but again, adding a top-six forward can help relieve some of the production stress that has been on players like Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield.”