Details of failed deadline-day Patrik Laine trade release, and it proves the Habs had no plan
Photo credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images
The Montreal Canadiens and head coach Martin St. Louis are staring down a massive problem after failing to trade Patrik Laine.
Elliotte Friedman recently revealed serious discussions to send the struggling forward to the Toronto Maple Leafs or Philadelphia Flyers.
The talks obviously fell apart, leaving Montreal holding the bag on an $8.7 million cap hit.
That massive number is completely paralyzing their current roster flexibility.
Moving that heavy contract was never going to be easy.
The Canadiens absolutely needed to attach a sweetener, like a late-round draft pick, to spark genuine interest and close the deal.
Rivals know Montreal is desperate to clear cap space. Taking on Laine is a massive financial burden for any contender.
A Missed Opportunity for the Montreal Canadiens
Instead of pulling off a necessary salary dump, management hesitated. The deals simply died on the negotiating table.
Laine has been a ghost lately. He goes from practice to the press box, and barely anybody speaks about him anymore.
Toronto already operates right against the cap ceiling. They were never absorbing that hit without Montreal coughing up assets (or maybe in a bigger Matthew Knies trade?).
Philadelphia was the exact same story. The Flyers could have taken him, but they would have demanded draft capital to offset the risk.
This is a glaring failure by the Canadiens' front office. They had a brief window to escape this expensive contract and missed it.
Over his NHL career, Laine has shown pure offensive brilliance. Right now, he is just an immovable asset weighing this franchise down.
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Previously on House Of Hockey
| POLL | ||
MARS 19|199 ANSWERS Details of failed deadline-day Patrik Laine trade release, and it proves the Habs had no plan Should the Canadiens have attached a draft pick to dump Patrik Laine's contract? | ||
| Yes | 162 | 81.4 % |
| No | 37 | 18.6 % |
| List of polls | ||