6 Trade Landing Spots That Could Revive Blue Jackets Forward Patrik Laine's Career

The Patrik Laine era in Columbus began with such hope.

When he was acquired from the Winnipeg Jets in a January 2021 trade that sent Pierre-Luc Dubois the other way, there was belief that he could regain the superstar form he showed early in his career and give the Blue Jackets a building block goal-scorer.

It hasn't worked out that way.

Injuries have played the biggest role in slowing Laine's production, while he has also struggled to make an impact under two different head coaches. He was a healthy scratch earlier this season, has been used as a center at times, and despite mostly strong offensive numbers, has not quite made the overall impact that was hoped.

He hasn't necessarily been bad with nine points in 18 games—just not game-changing.

Given all of that, as well as Columbus' place at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division, it is worth wondering if another trade might be best for everybody involved.

The Blue Jackets need a major reset as an organization (from the general manager on down), Laine could probably use a fresh start for himself in a better situation, and he is one of the few players on the roster who might have some real trade value if they decided to put the For Sale sign up.

There are two things that could complicate a deal.

The first is that Laine is sidelined for at least another month with a fractured clavicle.

The second is that the 25-year-old is signed for two more full seasons after this with an extremely pricey $8.7 million salary-cap hit per season.

Still, it's feasible another organization would want to take a shot at reviving his potential. Here are a few candidates.

The Washington Capitals were reportedly scouting around the Blue Jackets in December, per Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman (h/t the Hockey News), and there was some speculation that maybe Laine could have been the target.

There are a few interesting angles to take here that could make the Capitals a logical destination (or one that could work).

For one, it could be a situation where both teams could swap struggling big-money players to give both a fresh start. Washington's Evgeny Kuznetsov is signed for one more after this at $7.8 million against the cap, and he is a fraction of what he once was at his peak.

The 31-year-old has struggled mightily this season, and his five-on-five decline has been shocking over the past couple of years. It might not do anything to help Columbus on the ice, but there would be some long-term cap savings when Kuznetsov's contract expired after the 2024-25 season.

The big obstacle would be whether Columbus would appear on Kuznetsov's no-trade list and if he would be willing to leave Washington.

The other intriguing angle is that Laine could—at least in theory—be in position to take over Washington's power play and top line whenever Alex Ovechkin retires in the coming years. He would also give them another potential (and much-needed) goal-scoring threat.

Laine might have his flaws away from the puck, and injuries have definitely impacted him, but he was still a point-per-game player the past two years and scored at a 35-goal pace per 82 games. He would not only be one of the Capitals' best offensive players right now, he would also be a natural successor to Ovechkin as their goal-scoring threat (even if not anywhere near the same level of player).

The Carolina Hurricanes might have more pressing needs when it comes to potentially winning a Stanley Cup this season—like goaltending—but they would be a fascinating destination for Laine.

The Hurricanes have been one of the league's best teams for about five years now, but they keep coming up just short in the playoffs despite doing almost everything well. They dominate possession, they are a consistently outstanding defensive team, and they have a rock-solid lineup from top to bottom that is just full of good, strong all-around players.

But the one thing they have consistently been lacking is that one impactful goal-scoring force that can keep opposing coaches awake at night.

Sebastian Aho is a great player, but he is not always a huge goal-scorer.

Andrei Svechnikov has that potential, but he has not yet put it all together as a dominant goal-scorer.

Martin Necas and Seth Jarvis fall into the Aho category of great players, but not really elite finishers.

Carolina's roster is loaded with strong two-way players who could cover up for some of Laine's defensive shortcomings, while also having several elite playmakers who could give him the type of center he has never had in his career.

Could all of that, combined with Carolina's consistent territorial dominance, allow Laine to be in a position where he could become the 40- to 50-goal-scorer everybody hoped he would be?

It would take some salary-cap creativity, but that can always be worked around.

In their entire existence, there has never been a big-name player or coach that the Vegas Golden Knights haven't had an interest in,

They are always players for superstars who are available in trade or free agency, and they have a glaring need for scoring help on the left side in their quest to win back-to-back Stanley Cups.

Put all of that together and you have a natural match for Laine.

The ideal scenario here is getting him on a line with an elite playmaking center like Jack Eichel with a smart, dominant two-way player like Mark Stone on the other wing.

The Golden Knights are also looking at the potential departure of Jonathan Marchessault after this season in free agency and would have his money coming off the books.

Vegas currently has Ivan Barbashev, Pavel Dorofeyev and Brett Howden playing down the left side. The three of them have combined for 17 goals. Laine would be a substantial upgrade offensively and would put him into one of the best team—and center—situations he has ever had in the NHL.

On one hand, you wouldn't think of the San Jose Sharks as a team in a position to add somebody like Laine.

They have one of the worst rosters in the league, one of the worst records in the league and are in the early stages of a significant rebuild. But they need talent, they have almost no long-term commitments and it might be a situation where they could roll the dice on a super-talented player whose value is at an all-time low due to injuries and the situation he is in with the team.

It might be an opportunity to swing for the fences, and they have the salary-cap space to take that chance.

It wouldn't hurt to at least look into it.

If it works, it could give the Sharks a top-line scorer still in the prime of his career and somebody who could—in theory—still be a part of their rebuild.

Or it could give them another significant trade chip in the future.

San Jose also has some contracts it could move to make the money work in the short-term. Somebody like Mikael Granlund could be a bad contract to exchange and leave Columbus with serious long-term cap savings.

The Anaheim Ducks are still very much in their rebuilding phase, but they are also reaching a point where it is time to start showing some real progress.

They have some really impressive young talent in Leo Carlsson, Trevor Zegras and Mason McTavish, but that trio won't be able to drag this team back to relevance on their own. The Ducks have one of the league's worst records and one of its worst offenses, and they're swimming in salary-cap space.

They need help on the wings, and Laine would be a potentially huge upgrade there offensively.

Keep in mind, his 22 goals last year would have been one behind the team league for the Ducks, while his 52 points would have been third on the team—and he did that in only 55 games.

Even in his "down" years when he isn't 100 percent, he is still more productive than almost any other player the Ducks can put on the ice.

Given the Ducks' salary-cap situation and their need for more impact scorers, they should at least look into it.

This past offseason, after Barry Trotz took over as the Predators' new general manager in early 2023, he talked about wanting his scouts to go for home runs and look for impact talent.

He has also continued with Nashville's desire to not fully commit to a rebuild and try to compete right now, especially after signing Ryan O'Reilly and Gustav Nyquist to multi-year deals in free agency.

The result has been a surprisingly competitive team that is hanging around in the Western Conference playoff race.

Laine would be the perfect combination of swinging for the fences on talent, while also playing into the Predators' desire to remain competitive.

They are loaded with a great combination of salary-cap space and draft capital, while also needing more goal-scoring help on the wings.

Filip Forsberg and Laine would be a potentially dominant one-two punch down the left side.

Salary-cap information via CapFriendly unless otherwise noted.