The Montreal Canadiens and Columbus Blue Jackets are making progress on a big trade.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the two teams are gaining traction on a trade centred around Patrik Laine.
Laine reportedly requested a trade earlier this year from Columbus but those talks were put on hold when the Finnish forward entered the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program on Jan. 28. The 26-year-old has also been dealing with a shoulder injury.
In the months after Laine entered the program, the Blue Jackets fired general manager Jarmo Kekalainen and head coach Pascal Vincent and hired Don Waddell and Dean Evason to take their places.
Laine was cleared from the program on July 26.
Last week in an interview with The Hockey News, Waddell confirmed he had given Laine’s representatives permission to speak to other teams.
The three-time 30-goal scorer was limited to just 18 games last season and has two more seasons on his contract with an $8.7 million cap hit.
