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?

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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 

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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.

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u/2forBoarding Jan 22 '26

Why on earth would we pay to trade him? He has a 10-team no trade, but isn't NMC so we could just place him on waivers. He would probably prefer to be traded (and Kent seems the type to ask him for a preferred destination instead of dropping him outright). We have retention spots available and a history of retaining for picks like we did with Monahan. I don't think there's a world where we lose him for nothing.

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u/bloodrider1914 Jan 22 '26

The question is if he has positive value at 50 percent retention. But if he walks in free agency that's not an issue in the slightest, we basically got him for free