Vancouver Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin is a determined man. During his end of season presser, he vowed to look for ways to improve the roster and make sure the success of the 2023-24 campaign was not a one-off.
In this respect, you assume he will leave no stone unturned, while also looking around every corner in his quest to make the Canucks a team to be reckoned with for the long-term. Which brings us to Patrik Laine of the Columbus Blue Jackets.
As per Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, Laine has advised the Blue Jackets that he would like a fresh start. As a result, both sides are now working together on a trade.
The question is, should the Canucks throw their hat into the ring and contact the Blue Jackets about the forward? Let's look a the pros and cons of such a move:
The case for Laine
On a simple level, Laine has one of the best pure shots in the game. He is a quality top six -- if not top line -- forward, capable of 30+ goals per season.
In fact, the 26-year-old has the potential to be a regular 40+ goal scorer even though he's only managed this once so far, with 44 during the 2017-18 season. He has what it takes, to make the Canucks' attack more dangerous.
Helping make Laine even more threatening, is his intimidating size of 6 foot 5 and 205 pounds. Combined with his excellent puck handling he's tough to control, even in tight corners.
One other thing to consider is the 2016 second overall draft pick's contract, which has two years remaining at an annual value of $8.7 million. Given the circumstances surrounding him -- which we'll get to in a moment -- there is the possibility that the Blue Jackets would be willing to retain some of his salary, to help facilitate a trade with the right team.