COLUMBUS, Ohio — Patrik Laine said on Monday that he requested a trade from the Columbus Blue Jackets last season because others in the organization weren’t as committed to winning as he was and it felt like the club was in an endless cycle of losing.
Laine, who was traded by the Blue Jackets to the Montreal Canadiens over the summer, will face his former club for the first time since the trade at 7 p.m. Monday in Nationwide Arena.
“When I signed (a contract) here, I made it clear that I loved being here, that it was going great, and I didn’t want to leave,” Laine said after the Canadiens’ morning skate. “Obviously, things happened, and that was kind of it for me.
“I feel like we were just doing the same thing year after year. I was tired of losing and just giving up when it’s December to start focusing on next year. I’m not going to do that. That’s frustrating as a player when you’re trying to win and some people are, you know, not like that.
“They’re a little too satisfied and too comfortable where they’re at. It wasn’t really a fit for me anymore. But here (in Montreal), it doesn’t matter if we’re winning or losing, we’re always trying our best. That’s what I felt about it (in Columbus).”
Laine was pressed by reporters to clarify if he was referring to his Blue Jackets’ teammates or the club’s management.
“I’ll leave that for everybody’s imagination,” Laine said. “But there were certainly, certainly people like that who were a little too comfortable and fine with losing and just doing the same thing year after year. I’m going to leave that up for discussion for everybody else.”
Former GM Jarmo Kekäläinen was fired late last season and president of hockey operations John Davidson stepped into an advisory board after the Blue Jackets hired president and GM Don Waddell over the summer.
It was Waddell who traded Laine to Montreal on Aug. 19 for defenseman Jordan Harris and a second-round draft pick in 2026.
After missing the first part of the season with a leg injury, including two games against the Blue Jackets, Laine returned to the lineup in early December. In nine games, he has scored eight goals — all on the power play — and has a minus-7 rating. He was named the NHL’s third start of the week earlier on Monday.
Laine played in only 18 games last season for the Blue Jackets, missing time early in the season for a concussion. In December, when he was on the verge of being cleared to return to the lineup, Laine entered the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program. He explained later on social media that he stepped aside due to mental health concerns.
“I had some ups and downs (in Columbus),” Laine said. “I don’t want to get into that too much, but … some things probably could have been handled better. Some things were great, some things were not so great.
“I’m having the time of my life here (in Montreal), so I probably don’t want to get into that too much.”
Patrik Laine touched on many topics today regarding his 1st game back in Nationwide. On #CBJ F Mathieu Olivier, who he still stays in touch with.“Oli is lighting it up, more goals than me. Gotta catch up. Not used to that. still beating guys up and scoring at the same time..” pic.twitter.com/hqTXR9O58r
— Dave Maetzold (@DMaetzMedia) December 23, 2024
Laine received an outpouring of support from Blue Jackets fans and fans across the NHL when he entered the player assistance program.
As for what type of reception he’ll get in Nationwide Arena tonight … that’s another question.
“It’s great to see some of the fan base happy to see me happy,” Laine said. “For the other ones, I don’t really care what you think.
“(I have) no clue. It’s not that I’ve lost any sleep over it. Hopefully it’s positive. If it’s not, I really don’t care. If guys are going to be pissed off and bitter about something, that’s your issue. I’m having a great time regardless, and I don’t care what other people are saying.
“It’ll be cool. It’ll be cool to shut ’em down. There’s always idiots who do that. Hopefully not the entire building, with everything I did here for the community and for the team. If somebody feels like they want to boo, I feel like they’ve got bigger issues going on than me coming back here.”
The bigger motivation, Laine said, is laid out in the NHL standings. The Blue Jackets, at 13-15-6 (32 points), are one point ahead of Montreal (14-16-3, 31 points). A win by the Canadiens tonight would move them ahead of Columbus in the Eastern Conference standings.
“If we win, we’re going to jump them,” Laine said. “That’d be awesome to leave them behind.”
(Photo of Patrik Laine: David Kirouac / Imagn Images)
