First look at Patrik Laine after Player Assistance Program.

The Columbus Blue Jackets received great news on Friday when it was revealed that forward Patrik Laine had been released from the National Hockey League and National Hockey League Players' Association Player Assistance Program.

The news was announced by NHL insider Elliotte Friedman and meant that Laine would once again be eligible to play and, perhaps more importantly for the Columbus Blue Jackets, attempts to trade the player could begin in earnest.

Although we still don't know where Laine will end up in the end, this late into the summer it feels like a very real possibility he could start the season as a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets, he seems to be doing much better than the last time we heard from him.

Prior to taking his leave of absence from both the Blue Jackets and the National Hockey League as a whole, Laine made it clear that he wasn't in a good place mentally. Following the announcement on Friday however, a video was published on Instagram that appears to show Laine in great spirits as he plays with a young dog in his arms and can be seen dancing around with the pup in the short video.

Of course appearances can be deceiving but at the very least it is good to see Laine outwardly smiling as he looks to get back to some sense of normalcy in his life.