Potential Rangers Target Given Permission To Seek Trade

Patrik Laine may be on his way out of Columbus sooner rather than later.

Laine has been very clear that he wants to be traded from the Columbus Blue Jackets and now general manager Don Waddell is allowing him to talk with other teams.

“I’ve told his representation that we will definitely look at every deal and I’ve given him full permission to talk to teams,” Waddell said. “…just because a player wants to (be) traded, two things have to happen. You have to have a willing partner and you also have to have a deal that we both can accept and agree on. And at this time I don’t have that, so I can’t rule out any possibilities at this point.”

It’s unclear if the New York Rangers have been in contact with Laine at all or even have interest in him, but one NHL insider believes The Big Apple could be a good fit for Laine.

“They don’t have the cap space, but what about a team like the NYR? I could see [Laine] fitting on the right side. That would make a ton of sense to me,” The Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli said.

There is no doubt that Laine would help propel the Rangers’ offense, but the young forward’s $8.7 million cap hit is a major roadblock that will most likely be too much to overcome in trade talks.

Some teams that have been linked to Laine include the Pittsburgh Penguins, Montreal Canadiens. Colorado Avalanche and Buffalo Sabres.

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