The Blue Jackets are talking over trade options for Patrik Laine , but that doesn't mean a "change of scenery" is close for the Finnish forward.
More: For Columbus Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell, status quo will not suffice | Michael Arace
Don Waddell, the Jackets' new president of hockey operations/general manager , said Thursday that a trade for Laine has to "make sense" before he signs off on it.
Laine remains in the NHL/NHL Players Association's player assistance program for undisclosed reasons, and that's a holdup in staging trade discussions. Waddell has granted Laine's agent, Andy Scott, permission to speak with general managers about the player's status, but not negotiate trade parameters. Waddell also expects Laine to be released from the program soon.
"Teams that I've talked with about (Laine), they want to talk with him if they're going to make a move," Waddell said. "We've given Andy permission to talk about the player, his condition and everything else, but he's not making the trade."
Scott has not returned multiple requests for comment from The Dispatch, but Laine's interest in being traded surfaced earlier this month. Waddell has confirmed it but isn't interested in making a trade just to acquiesce a player's wishes.
The goal is to swing a deal that utilizes Laine to help the Blue Jackets improve without damaging their salary cap situation with a host of restricted free agents still unsigned. Laine's contract costs $8.7 million against the cap for two more seasons, and his play in the first two years of it hasn't come close to meeting that number in terms of production.
Numerous injuries plus his entry into the NHL/NHLPA program Jan. 28 are the biggest reasons why the 26-year old forward has come up short. The Blue Jackets could be forced to eat a portion of Laine's remaining salary to get a trade done, but Waddell hopes to avoid that scenario.
"It's too early to say about money (retained)," he said. "Our hope is that we wouldn't have to hold money. We want to make a hockey trade if we can, and we'll certainly exhaust every opportunity and (talk to) every team that potentially has interest in it."
Should a deal like that not materialize, Waddell and his front office must decide whether it's worth paying for Laine's exit. Under the current NHL/NHLPA collective bargaining agreement, teams can retain up to 50% of a player's salary as trade incentive. The higher that number gets, the less likely it usually is that a team agrees to trade a player. Laine also has a no-trade clause that's limited to 10 teams, according to CapFriendly .
Should Waddell not find a suitable deal for both sides, there's a chance Laine remains with the Blue Jackets until something arises that works.
"Right now, we're all playing nice in the sandbox," Waddell said. "Until we get to the point where the decision has to be made, maybe there's not something out there that makes sense for us. Then we have to cross that bridge. Right now, they've expressed their view and we said that we will certainly look at all our options. I spoke to Andy (Scott) again (Wednesday) about this, but you can't rule out (Laine staying). If the options are limited or there's no options that make any sense, then we'll have to deal with that."
Waddell has received interest from teams looking to gauge whether he's willing to trade the fourth pick in this year's draft.
The short answer is that he's willing to talk about it with all interested teams, and will be right up to the start of the draft next Friday in Las Vegas .
"There's been some teams, even around us, that are talking about trying to move back a little bit if you're going to get a nice asset with it," Waddell said. "So, there's chatter going on, but I expect that to pick up next week. We're open. If we keep the pick, we're going to get a great player, and if we trade the pick it's going to have to be a great deal for us."
Tickets aren't on sale yet for the Blue Jackets' matchup against the Detroit Red Wings in the 2025 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series outdoor game at Ohio Stadium, but fan interest appears to be booming.
According to the Blue Jackets, 120,000 people have filled out an online form on the team's website to receive information about purchasing tickets.
Presale opportunities are expected in late July, when more information is expected to be released about public sales. Those wishing to gain presale access to purchasing tickets for the outdoor game can gain that by purchasing a qualifying Blue Jackets ticket plan for the upcoming season.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets in holding pattern with Patrik Laine trade talks
