star player reportedly turned down a trade before being swapped to the…

The hot topic in Montreal in recent days has been the acquisition of Patrik Laine. The big forward is turning heads for both good and bad reasons.

We’re not done talking about it yet.

What you need to know is that the Habs, of course, weren’t the only team in the race for his services. There were other clubs who also wanted to uproot him from Ohio. No one other than the Habs could or would take his entire salary, though.

But just because he wanted out doesn’t mean he wanted out at all costs.

In fact, according to Renaud Lavoie, before the trade with the Habs, the forward refused another transaction. He would have said no via his 10-team no-trade clause.

We don’t know which team, but it wasn’t the Habs, who weren’t on his no-trade list.

The journalist revealed this information, which is circulating throughout the NHL, which is making its comeback this morning in preparation for the 2024-2025 radio season.

What this means is that, even if Laine wanted a fresh start (he asked for a trade), he still (obviously) wanted to have a say in his next destination.

So, even if he couldn’t refuse the Habs’ deal, you’d think he’d be happy to be heading to Montreal for the next two seasons.

Renaud Lavoie added that towards the end of last season, he didn’t think Laine was seriously on the Habs’ radar. There was more talk of Trevor Zegras and Martin Necas, who ended up staying put all summer.

Things change quickly sometimes.

So we’ll see what Laine is able to accomplish next in Montreal. Even though he obviously wanted to be traded to the Habs, how will he deal with the pressure?

Because yes, even if we know the circumstances of the transaction, the Finn will be under pressure from the fans in town. And that’s to be expected.