The Columbus Blue Jackets have asked for Patrik Laine to be traded, and according to one trade proposal, the New York Rangers would receive him.
One of the best teams in the NHL, the Rangers are just a few pieces away from taking home the Stanley Cup. A user on the website PuckPedia suggested a trade that would see the Rangers acquire Laine using a new tool called PuckGM, which allows users to make their own trades.
Rangers acquire: Patrik Laine (retained at $4.4 million).
The Blue Jackets receive:
Kaapo Kakko
2025 first-round selection
Given that Laine, when healthy and at his peak, is one of the NHL’s best players, the suggested trade makes sense for both parties. In addition, New York trades its first-round pick and moves on from Kakko, a former second-overall pick who hasn’t worked out.
Laine’s four-year $34.8 million contract has two years left on it, but Columbus is keeping $4.4 million of his $8.7 million deal in the proposed trade so New York can afford to sign him. Despite injuries, Laine managed to collect 6 goals and 3 assists for 9 points in 18 games during the previous season.
Columbus receives Kakko and a first-round selection in exchange for Laine, which is the main component of the deal package. The forward is only 23 years old, so maybe a move to a new place will aid in his career.
Laine Is Allowed to Communicate With Other Teams
Don Waddell, general manager of the Blue Jackets, told Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers that Laine has clearance to negotiate with other teams in response to his desire for a trade from Columbus.
“Well, he’s still a Blue Jacket today, and as of right now, nothing (newsworthy of interest) has come up that I’ve had to decide on. Just a few teams finish their assignments and make an effort to contact Patrick and his representative; he considered granting them complete permission to speak with them. Therefore, as we speak, Waddell stated, “I don’t have anything on the table that would even make sense for the Blue Jackets to make that deal.”
Although he is in talks with teams to attempt and move Laine, the general manager claims there hasn’t been a transaction that makes sense for the Blue Jackets.
“I’ve given him complete access to speak with teams and have assured his counsel that we will consider every deal. I’ve dealt with athletes in the past that wanted to be traded, but two things needed to happen before a player could be traded. You need to have a willing partner and a plan that we can both agree upon and embrace. Additionally, I don’t currently have it, so I can’t completely rule out any possibilities,” Waddell continued.
In the NHL draft of 2016, Laine was selected second overall.
Kakko Is Angry About Her Rangers Role
The Rangers selected Kakko second overall in the 2019 draft, yet he hasn’t even played a significant part for the team.
Kakko claims he was not satisfied with his role during the previous season, when he was a healthy scratch for both the regular season and the postseason.
Everyone wants to play, of course. I wanted to win even though I was upset that I [was] not in the starting lineup. I was hoping for the squad to win, to keep playing, and to eventually return to the starting lineup, but I must admit that I was not happy. I believe that every person in this room wants to play, Kakko stated.
In 300 regular season games, Kakko skated and scored 57 goals and 60 assists for a total of 117 points.
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