Montreal Canadiens Can Make Offer on Patrik Laine As Columbus Waits on His Return
Aaron Portzline of the Athletic joined TSN Radio in Montreal and was asked about the status of Patrik Laine with the Columbus Blue Jackets and if the Montreal Canadiens could be a fit.
** NHLRumors.com Transcriptions
Host: “Welcome back to TSN 690. Our next guest does great work covering the Columbus Blue Jackets for The Athletic. His name is Aaron Portzline.
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It’s alwayds a pleasure talking with you and Columbus seems always be headline news when it comes to the National Hockey League. And I guess I don’t want to bury the lead again to other topics when it comes to the Blue Jackets, but I want to start with the topic that Montreal errs are most interested in. And that’s what happens with Patrik Laine?”
Aaron Portzline: “Yeah, yeah. Well, Montreal can certainly put their offer forth if they’re interested. He is currently in the NHL and NHLPA Players Assistance Program. Now, he can be traded out of that. There’s there’s nothing that limits the Blue Jackets from trading him while he’s in that program. And yet, the circumstances kind of do limit it because any team, and this is partly what the teams have expressed that Don Waddell, but partly that he doesn’t know the player either, so he can’t really inform teams or be honest with teams about where Patrik is at or, or what his future may look like.
The teams want to talk to Patrik Laine before they trade for him. Which I think is reasonable. This is a player who played 18 games last year. Has been in a program that is a great program, but it certainly is cause for concern. How healthy is this player? How inspired is this player? Where’s his heart? Where’s his head? These are all fair questions for a team that’s looking to invest in Patrik Laine.
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And so the Blue Jackets are waiting for word from his agent. The League’s not going to announce that. They announce these things during the season. Outside the season they don’t announce it. So they’re waiting for word from his agent, Andy Scott that Patrik Laine is no longer in the program.
They thought it was going to come a month ago. They term it any day now then and they’re still waiting. And no one will admit the frustration but there has to be some now with the draft past, most of free agency gone as well. The busy part of the summer has moved along here, and they’re still left with the player.”