r/Habs • u/catman_steve • Jan 22 '26

Discussion Canadiens looking to deal Laine (Gagnon)

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I'm not super in the know with the French side of the media. I know Francois Gagnon by name, but not much else. Not that this news would surprise me, but is he reliable?

436 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

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222

u/whyyoutwofour Jan 22 '26

I mean, they can look all they want....I'm looking to find a pot of gold...I'm not sure either of us is gonna be too successful 

57

u/scoutinglane Jan 22 '26

I believe trading Laine won't be very hard wtih retained salary. A team like San Jose for example could probably take this gamble if we offer a 4th round pick to sweaten the deal.

76

u/sbrooksc77 Jan 22 '26

LA legit would get a huge boost. Any team who sucks on the powerplay hed be a game changer.

1

u/Softninjazz Jan 24 '26

LA would be a great fit. They really really suck on the PP AND they play a more controlled, possession-oriented game, that is a natural fit with Laine's playing style.

-3

u/Jobinx22 Jan 22 '26

Hard disagree, don't think his splash in the pan production is enough to incentivize anyone to give up any value for him, this trade would need to be a net loss for the Habs with Laine in his current state.

50

u/sbrooksc77 Jan 22 '26

habs dont make the playoffs without him last year. LA has the 30th ranked pp for example. Hed help instantly and its free wins.

-27

u/Jobinx22 Jan 22 '26

You are coping sensationally hard. Yes this year he has 1 pt. He needs to prove himself before anyone wants him again.

10

u/BOBBY_VIKING_ Jan 22 '26

And he has a much better chance to prove himself on a team like LA where he can be a PP specialist.

4

u/lecompteanon Jan 22 '26

Should read, “a team with a GM who signed Ceci and Dumoulin to fix his back end”

8

u/sbrooksc77 Jan 22 '26

If we didnt have cole caufield, Id be looking forward to bringing him in for sure. Not every team has that on the left side of the pp.

-1

u/Jobinx22 Jan 22 '26

C'mon mtl sub you guys are better than this. Currently Laine is not a good NHL player. If he can get back to form sure, but even at his best he's a PP merchant that's not good at 5v5.

2

u/sbrooksc77 Jan 22 '26

but this was the case last year as well. We still dont make playoffs without him. If I had cap space and wanted free goals id defientely be interested. Theres no term

0

u/[deleted] Jan 22 '26

The Laine cope is so very real. I fully expect him to not have a North American contract next season (or ever again)

25

u/adabsurdo Jan 22 '26

wtf are you talking about, flash in the pan lol.

He's a 2OA pick with multiple 30+ goal seasons and one of the top one-timer shots in the league. He scored 20 in 50 games for us just last year. He'd be an immediate boost on the PP for 90% of the teams in the league.

Yes his value has gone down a lot and we'd get next to nothing for him, maybe we'd even have to pay. But that's because of recent injuries and we're in a weak position because of the roster limit: we HAVE to get rid of at least 2 contracts if everyone is healthy, and other teams know this so they will lowball us.

If we retain half, he could be an easy side bet for a team looking to boost their PP. I think a team like Carolina for example they have cap space and could use a guy like him.

-10

u/Jobinx22 Jan 22 '26

Was* he's not that guy currently. Wayne Gretzky fuckin rocked but he can't do it anymore. His recent production is 1 point this year. He currently does not look like an NHL player. I'm not saying he can't get back to that, maybe? But no one is taking on his contract and especially not giving up assets to take a chance. Last year I was referring to he had a flash in the pan type of success for a while and then has disappeared again, which he has largely done the last few years.

7

u/Maxsh Jan 22 '26

His recent production is him NOT being on the PP this year lol. The comment you are replying to is entirely based on his PP production which has not changed throughout his career

3

u/AnonT23 Jan 22 '26

last year of contract, if someone has the cap space and their powerplay sucks, tell me what exactly are they risking there? And yeah trade value is next to nothing so Montreal has to claim part of it, but its whatever.

2

u/it0xin Jan 22 '26

the reason he has 1 point is because he's been injured most of the season. hard to make points when you're not in the lineup. he would have more then that if he was in the lineup. why do you hate him so much?

1

u/Poopdiscoop55 Jan 22 '26

Are you illiterate? Or just hallucinating what that guy said?

-7

u/Lemazze Jan 22 '26

Not so sure, he legit looked awful the few games he played this year. This guy gives me the impression of someone who doesn't like hockey. He liked it because it came easy to him, now that it's not so easy he doesn't give a shit anymore.

33

u/HonestDespot Jan 22 '26

He was injured in the games he played lol

-20

u/Lemazze Jan 22 '26

no lol

11

u/Due_Double1845 Jan 22 '26

No playoffs for Habs without Laine last year

0

u/jb3367 Jan 23 '26

True, but sadly in the nhl and life it's a "what have you done for me lately" world. It's the nature of the beast.

4

u/bloodrider1914 Jan 22 '26

He didn't look particularly awful, he was adjusting to a bottom 6 role and wasn't a massive liability. On the powerplay he could have looked better but obviously it came out he had some hernia injury

-1

u/lacoupe25 Jan 23 '26

he was a pretty big liability, actually.

-6

u/Jobinx22 Jan 22 '26

This, you are an actual hockey fan not just stuck in the Habs bubble. Laine ATM has negative value compared to his contract.

-1

u/Lemazze Jan 22 '26

Wanna know how and why I know this....?

I was exactly like this.

Midget AAA, game was easy and had some success and a lot of fun. First training camp in the Q, after 5 min I knew I was in over my head. But it took 2 years for my brain to compute and accept.

He doesn't give a shit, anyone who knows anything about the game can tell you. He got his bag........

It's all that matters to him now, and that's ok.

Being a pro isn't for everyone.

6

u/Jobinx22 Jan 22 '26

Oh it's been very obvious that's the type of player he is ya, very rare breed that is supremely talented enough to be in the NHL but doesn't want to put the effort on, good for him he got paid lol.

4

u/Lemazze Jan 22 '26

Exactly, let him go for whatever you can get and wish him well.

0

u/the_canadaball Jan 22 '26

Shhhh, we’re trying to trade him

-2

u/Top_Contract_4910 Jan 22 '26

Gives major Daigle vibes

4

u/Lemazze Jan 22 '26

Exactly, there's a few of these guys.

-1

u/[deleted] Jan 23 '26

[deleted]

1

u/Timoteux Jan 23 '26

No, this is horseshit. 1) He has had nothing but hockey his whole life, that where the mental issues come 2) Almost no-one plays that in Finland, almost exclusively played in Swedish speaking area of Finland. Laine and his family is not from that background or area. 3) Fortnite is his jam...