Patrik Laine: “I can confirm that the Kings have spoken with the CH.”

Marc-Olivier Cook
Patrik Laine: “I can confirm that the Kings have spoken with the CH.”
Credit: YouTube / CH

This morning, Patrik Laine was surplus to requirements at practice. He played a few shifts on Jake Evans' line during certain drills… and he was even used as a defenseman at the end of practice.

This is no joke.

The Canadiens will try to trade him before next Friday. The trade deadline is approaching, and Kent Hughes needs to find a solution to resolve the issue.

On that subject, we've heard the Kings' name mentioned in some rumors over the past few days. And now Dennis Bernstein, who covers the team in Los Angeles, has confirmed it: the Kings and the Habs have indeed discussed the Finnish player.

But…

But Laine isn't the #1 target in Los Angeles.

The Kings are evaluating several options, and that doesn't mean Laine will definitely end up in California in the coming days. I tend to believe that he is a backup option for the team… because there are other players on the market who could be of interest to the organization.

That said, it's interesting to know that there have been discussions between the two teams. It means that there is some interest in him among National League clubs and that the Habs could potentially find a partner to make a trade at some point between now and the trade deadline.

We know that a trade could be difficult to pull off—mainly because of his salary—and that the player in question hasn't played much in the last two years. But on the other hand, we know him: Laine can help a club looking to add offensive punch and improve its power play.

That's his specialty. And with the loss of Kevin Fiala to Los Angeles, perhaps the stars will align for this deal to come to fruition… which, in fact, would be a good thing for the Canadiens.


In a nutshell

– Makes sense.

— Yeah.

— To be continued.

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