Patrik Laine announces life-changing decision amidst trade rumors

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Graham Montgomery
August 9, 2024 (8:42 PM)

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Columbus Blue Jackets star forward Patrik Laine recently shared some life-altering news on his Instagram for all his fans to see.

The Finnish sniper announced to the world via Instagram today that he has become engaged to his girlfriend Jordan Leigh.

The couple has been together for several years at this point and appears ready to take on their next challenges together. This is a really nice development to see considering everything Laine has been through in recent years.

Furthermore, the couple's immediate future contains many question marks as Laine himself has requested a trade from the Blue Jackets, creating many rumors about his future in the NHL. That being said, Laine and Leigh seem to be ready to face that upcoming trade together.

One team that has been linked to Laine in rumors is the Montreal Canadiens. Seemingly, he would be a good fit on the team as he is still just 26 years old, making him a perfect fit for the Canadiens rebuild. Furthermore, if he can return to form and score 40 goals with the team, he could accelerate the rebuild.

However, Canadiens insider Eric Engels revealed recently that he does not believe the team has any serious interest in the forward. To be specific, he said, "the interest is pretty minimal," when discussing Laine to the Habs rumors.

More recently, Laine has been connected to the Minnesota Wild, and was even seen wearing a Minnesota Twins baseball cap in public. Could this be a sign that the Blue Jackets and Wild are making progress on a deal? Perhaps. More importantly, is he a good fit for the team? That is hard to say for sure. As the Hockey News writer Jim Parsons points out, there are positives and negatives to trading for the former 2nd overall pick.

"Laine's production has dropped in recent seasons. Still, he has a history as an NHL scorer that is well-documented. NHL Network analyst Mike Rupp highlighted that Minnesota could benefit by adding a star like Laine, as the team currently lacks a true sniper with the potential to put up big numbers.

As with any team, there should be concerns about how Laine fits into the Wild's established identity. Rupp pointed out that the Wild's success is built on hard work and a team-first mentality. Laine's style of play might not align with this philosophy. What the Wild don't want to do is bring in unnecessary drama as the team sits on the bubble as a playoff contender."

Given his injury history and reputation as being a selfish player, any team that trades for Laine would be taking on a risk. However, the upside is still tantalizing. This is a player that potentially could score 50 goals or more in a full season. There are zero teams in the NHL that wouldn't want a player like that on their team. Will he actually be traded this summer though? At this point, it seems too early to tell.