The fallout from the Canadiens acquiring Patrik Laine from the Blue Jackets, the Oilers decline to match the Blues’ offer sheets for Broberg and Holloway, Predators goalie Yaroslav Askarov requests a trade, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
THE MONTREAL GAZETTE: Stu Cowan believes the Canadiens acquisition of Patrik Laine from the Columbus Blue Jackets is a low-risk move that could be a big reward. The Jackets sent the 26-year-old winger and a 2026 second-round pick to the Canadiens on Monday in return for defenseman Jordan Harris.
The Canadiens needed more scoring to become a playoff team. Laine is a former 44-goal scorer with two years remaining on his contract with an average annual value of $8.7 million. However, he’s struggled with consistency and injuries in recent years.
Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes said he spoke with Laine before making the trade. He believes the winger is mentally in a good place and is energized and excited about playing in Montreal. He also spoke with people who knew Laine from his days with the Winnipeg Jets.
Laine’s cap hit makes him the Canadiens’ highest-paid player. However, the fact that he only has two years left on his deal factored into their decision to acquire him.
Montreal Canadiens acquired winger Patrik Laine from the Columbus Blue Jackets on Aug. 19. (NHL Images).
Hughes believes Laine’s potential success in Montreal lies not with how many goals he scores but by his ability to contribute and help the team. He also hopes that he’ll help their younger players.
The Canadiens felt they could afford to part with the 24-year-old Harris. They have considerable depth in young left-shot defensemen. Harris was a healthy scratch from eight games last season.
SPORTSNET: Laine said he’s been cleared to skate after having an operation to address a shoulder injury suffered last season. He claims his shot is as powerful as ever. He declined to explain why he wanted to leave the Blue Jackets but said he’s excited about a fresh start in Montreal, adding he’s “always enjoyed the spotlight.”
Laine indicated he wasn’t enjoying himself off the ice, which affected his on-ice performance. Since seeking help for his mental health earlier this year through the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program, he’s now happier than ever away from the rink and working hard to prepare for the coming season.
TVA SPORTS: Laine said he wasn’t just content to be a 30-goal scorer again. “I want to be a 40 or 50-goal scorer again. I’ve done it before. It wasn’t by accident,” he said.
RG.ORG: Marco D’Amico reports the Canadiens took on the full value of Laine’s cap hit, putting them above the $88 million salary cap by $1.85 million.
They can get cap relief by placing permanently sidelined goalie Carey Price and his $10.5 million cap hit on long-term injury reserve. However, they’re not doing it immediately because they’re allowed to be above the cap by 10 percent in the offseason. By placing Price on LTIR after the start of the season, they’ll leverage the full benefit of the cap relief.
D’Amico noted the Canadiens could make a trade to shed salary. Another player could suffer an injury that delays the inevitable, or they could play musical chairs with their roster to start the season. He cited sources suggesting the third option is currently their best choice.
Under that scenario, they could place sidelined forward Raphael Harvey-Pinard ($1.1 million) on LTIR and demote youngsters like Jayden Struble and Joshua Roy to their AHL affiliate in Laval. That would make them cap-compliant to start the season with a 20-man roster. They could then place Price on LTIR and recall the necessary reinforcements to fill out their roster to 23 men.
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH: Brian Hedger reports Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell released a statement on the Laine trade.
“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,” said Waddell. “We were able to acquire a good young player in Jordan Harris while maintaining financial flexibility in this deal, which was very important to us. We wish Patrik all the best.”
THE ATHLETIC: Aaron Portzline reports it was only last weekend when the Canadiens’ talks with the Blue Jackets about Laine took hold, but they quickly turned serious. The Habs were the only team that didn’t ask the Blue Jackets to retain part of Laine’s cap hit.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: You can read my take on the trade here.
TSN: The Edmonton Oilers declined to match the offer sheets from the St. Louis Blues for defenseman Philip Broberg and winger Dylan Holloway.
The Oilers received a second-round pick from the Blues as compensation for Broberg and a third-rounder for Holloway.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: It was assumed the Oilers acquiring Vasily Podkolzin from the Vancouver Canucks and shipping out defenseman Cody Ceci to the San Jose Sharks for blueliner Ty Emberson was setting the stage to clear cap room to match one or both offers. TSN’s Ryan Ryshaug reports they would’ve boxed themselves in quite badly with the salary cap had they matched both offers. They want to keep some salary cap flexibility for new contracts for Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard.
NASHVILLE HOCKEY NOW: Clay Brewer cited ESPN’s Kevin Weekes reporting Predators top prospect goaltender Yaroslav Askarov informed the club he will not report to their AHL affiliate in Milwaukee. The 22-year-old also requested a trade.
The move comes nearly two months after the Predators signed Juuse Saros to an eight-year contract extension. That makes the starter’s job unlikely for Askarov in the near future. That’s a role he and his agent believe he should have sooner rather than later.
THE TENNESSEAN: Alex Daugherty reports that Predators GM Barry Trotz is aware of Weekes’ report but expects Askarov to report to training camp next month. The goaltender’s agent declined to comment.
If Askarov is demanding a trade, Trotz should consider acting on it. With Saros locked in on his long-term deal, getting the most out of Askarov as a trade asset would be ideal.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: It’s believed Trotz was getting trade inquiries about Askarov during the draft weekend in June. Those calls could start up again soon if they haven’t already. If Askarov isn’t traded before training camp opens next month he could refuse to report and stage a holdout until moved.
PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: The Penguins made nine new front-office moves yesterday. Among them was assistant general manager Jason Spezza’s promotion to GM of their AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Special assistant Amanda Kessel was named manager of minor hockey operations and assistant GM of their AHL affiliate. She’ll also oversee their ECHL affiliate in Wheeling.
SAN JOSE HOCKEY NOW: Cody Ceci said he’s excited to join the rebuilding Sharks. On Sunday, he was traded by the Edmonton Oilers in a cost-cutting move. He believes he can play a leadership role for promising youngsters like Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith.
PUCKPEDIA: Ty Emberson was part of the return to the Oilers in the Ceci trade. If he plays 50 games this season, he’ll be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights next summer. If he plays less than that, he becomes a Group 6 UFA.