Blue Jackets GM throws shade at Patrik Laine after trade

The Columbus Blue Jackets have officially moved on from forward Patrik Laine, sending him to the Montreal Canadiens along with a second round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft in exchange for defenseman Jordan Harris.

It brings to an end a rocky tenure with the Blue Jackets that included a trade request along with spending the majority of last season within the NHL Player Assistance Program. And shortly after the trade was completed, Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell made it clear he has no interest in players who don't want to suit up in Columbus.

"We want players that want to be Blue Jackets and Patrik made it clear that he thought a change of scenery was best for him," he said. "We were able to acquire a good young player in Jordan Harris while maintaining financial flexibility, which was very important to us.”

The financial flexibility comes from the fact that they didn't have to retain any of Laine's AAV of $8.7 million.

Waddell had recently spoke about Laine's desire to move on from Columbus, stating in no uncertain terms that Laine wanted no part of playing for the Blue Jackets: 

“This is a different situation than any that I’ve really dealt with," Waddell said during a recent appearance on TSN1010 Toronto. "I’ve had players that have requested trades, and sometimes you trade them, sometimes you don’t. Obviously, I don’t know Patrik, I wasn’t here last year. He went into the program 28 games into the year, and he’s been very vocal about it, way before I got here, that he does not want to play for the Blue Jackets. There was a lot of things that went on in the locker room and he just doesn’t want it.”

“This is different because it’s harder to bring him back knowing the situation, but saying that, that might be the option. We’re into the summer, he’s got a high cap hit for two years. I’m talking to teams every day. I’ve got two or three teams engaged right now, we’ll see where it goes. At the end of the day, like I told Andy Scott, his representation, I can try to do it, but if there’s not a deal to be made, he’s going to have to come back here to camp and we’ll welcome him back and try to make the best out of the situation.”

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