Montreal Canadiens
Insider Reveals Canadiens’ “Real” Interest in Patrik Laine
Insider Eric Engels revealed the Montreal Canadiens’ “real” interest in a Patrik Laine trade and it’s not what some rumors are suggesting.
Montreal Canadiens insider Eric Engels was a guest on The Sick Podcast with Tony Marinaro this week and was asked about all the rumors linking the Canadiens to a trade involving forward Patrik Laine. Heavily discussed as a team that would be kicking tires on bringing Laine in from Columbus, Engels reports it’s probably time people ‘get real’ about the fact that the Canadiens’ interest would be “minimal” at best.
“I’d say it’s quite minimal,” Engels noted. He added:
“You know, I’ve obviously poked around on this I’m kind of laughing cuz like you know Twitter has this new for you feature… and you know stuff that’s been pushed to me over the last couple months or at least couple weeks, actually intensely, is you know a couple people say hey on the Canadians are front runners for Patrik Laine and it’s just like I’m sitting back laughing…”
Engels added, “…let’s be real about the situation. Patrik Laine is on the market for a reason.” Noting that it’s not just because teams can now speak to the player because he’s no longer in the Players Assistance Program, but where he’s at mentally and physically and his play on the ice has diminished over the last couple of years. “It just has been lacking in different departments. He wants a new start, I can understand that.”

Why is Montreal Not Terribly Interested in Laine?
Saying he’s not sure if Montreal is even on Laine’s acceptable trade list, Engels points out that he’s not sure the forward would want to jump out of the Player’s Assistance Program and into the type of spotlight Montreal shines on players. “I don’t know that the Montreal Canadians are one of them they feel they have an extremely healthy room. Whether or not they want to incorporate somebody like him and what he’s coming with into it at this juncture of their development is a question.”
Engels reminded fans that, while the Canadians need scoring, Laine comes with an $8.7 million cap charge and a $9.1 million actual salary. If the Canadians were to even consider taking on the full weight of that, which they could do based on their cap situation, you would think that would come with a huge cost to the Columbus Blue Jackets. It’s not clear Blue Jackets’ GM Don Waddell has an appetite to take on that kind of burden.
Next: Fans Bash Oilers in Front Office Survey Despite Making Cup Final

patroljoyfullyfb8b034f55
August 19, 2024 at 6:16 pm
What a bunch of bullshit; scratch my name off your list; Patrick Laine–your top story was no story at all. Screw you idiots!!