Columbus Blue Jackets forward Patrik Laine has been involved in trade rumors and one trade pitch has the Toronto Maple Leafs acquiring him.
Laine has asked for a trade and after the forward was officially NHL and NHLPA Player Assistance Program on July 26, the trade rumors heated up. Website PuckPedia has a new tool called PuckGM that lets users create their own trades, and one user proposed a deal that sees Laine get traded with money retained in a multi-player deal.
Maple Leafs Get:
Patrik Laine ($4.4 million retained)
2025 third-round pick
Blue Jackets Get:
Nick Robertson
David Kampf
2026 first-round pick
If this trade happens it would be a blockbuster as the Maple Leafs would get another offensive weapon in Laine. Columbus also retains $4.4 million in the deal to make the salary work as Laine is entering the third year of his $34.8 million deal.
As for the Blue Jackets, they would acquire Nick Robertson who is an RFA and has asked for a trade from the Maple Leafs. The disgruntled forward was frustrated with his playing time and has no plans to re-sign with Toronto. David Kampf, meanwhile, is a bottom-six defensive forward who recorded 8 goals and 11 assists for 19 points in 78 games.
Along with the two players, the Blue Jackets would get the Maple Leafs’ 2026 first-round pick which is the prized asset in this trade.
Blue Jackets Looking For ‘Right Fit’ For Laine
Laine had asked for a trade from the Blue Jackets after the season ended, but no deal has come to fruition.
Columbus acquired Laine on January 23, 2021, from the Winnipeg Jets. It was a blockbuster deal, but since then, he has struggled to stay healthy and be consistent, which has resulted in the trade request to get a fresh start.
Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell has said he is looking to find a deal for Laine but says the trade needs to make sense for Columbus.
“Patrik’s made it clear, even before all the changes this summer, that he would like a fresh start someplace. We will look at when the time comes, which hopefully is very soon, all the options. I can’t rule out any options even returning here, because it takes two teams and two parties to make a trade, and if there’s not a trade that makes any sense to us, then we have to just deal with what reality is,” Waddell said on TSN 1050 on July 25.
“Andy Scott (Laine’s Agent) told him multiple times that we will make sure that we look at everything and know the situation, we know Patrik’s feelings, and if we can find the right fit, certainly we will do that, but if not, we’ll have to just deal with it,” Waddell said.
Laine was drafted second overall in the 2016 NHL by the Jets.
Maple Leafs GM Wants Robertson Back
In the trade pitch, the Maple Leafs would part ways with Robertson. Although Robertson has asked for a trade, Toronto general manager Brad Treliving has made it clear he has no intention of trading the forward.
“I have certainly known that there was some frustration with Nick, but we look at Nick as an excellent player,” Treliving said to the media on July 1. “There is a great opportunity for Nick here. We need him to be a good player for us. I am not going to get into any speculation or public back-and-forth. We will just leave it at that and continue to move forward.”
Robertson recorded 14 goals and 13 assists for 27 points in 56 games. He has skated in 87 NHL games recording 17 goals and 17 assists for 34 points.
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