MLive’s Ansar Khan answered two subscriber-only questions in a summertime mailbag feature, and both questions involved trade scenarios:
Q: Columbus looking to unload Patick Laine. Could be a good reclamation project. Any possibility? – Chris
A: Doubtful. The Blue Jackets probably will need to retain 50 percent of his salary or close to it to move him (two years remaining at an $8.7 million AAV). If the Red Wings were to somehow make a huge move it would probably be for a center rather than a right wing like Laine.
Laine is only 26 but hasn’t been the same since his second season in 2017-18, when he produced career highs with 44 goals and 70 points. He hasn’t played more than 56 games in any of the past four seasons due to injuries and last season a stint in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program.
The Red Wings would be better off keeping any tradeable assets for a higher upside return.
Continued (paywall); at this point, Laine’s commitment to playing is a little questionable, frankly, and while I hope that he’s going to rebound after getting the help he needed from the NHLPA’s Player Assistance Program, I wouldn’t touch him with a ten-foot pole.
