We knew that Patrik Laine had blocked a trade to an unknown franchise before accepting a move to the Montreal Canadiens and after days of speculation, the identity of the vetoed team has finally emerged, according to a report by Maxime Truman.
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NHL insider Renaud Lavoie first reported Laine's vetoed trade speaking on BPM Sports' Le Club du Matin on August 26.
"Yes, there were other teams interested. Laine asked for a trade, as most people know," Lavoie said. "[Laine] apparently refused an offer [from another team] before the Canadiens' one came in."
That said, Lavoie could not disclose the identity of the team Laine declined to accept a trade to, now identified as the Philadelphia Flyers.
Truman (h/t Dose.ca) revealed that Laine, who did not have Montreal on his no-trade list, still had the power to veto a move to another team, and when the Columbus Blue Jackets attempted to trade him to Philadelphia, he declined the idea.
Talks between the Blue Jackets and Flyers were said to have involved a swap with Ryan Johansen, but negotiations fell apart when Laine refused to go to Philadelphia.
This vetoed trade happened just days before the Flyers placed Johansen on unconditional waivers in an effort to terminate his contract, citing a "material breach."
Shortly after rejecting the Flyers, Laine was dealt to the Canadiens on August 19, where he accepted a fresh start in Montreal.
The trade saw Montreal send defenseman Jordan Harris and a second-round pick to Columbus. In return, they landed Laine and provided the Blue Jackets with significant cap relief by offloading Laine's $8.7 million cap hit over the next two seasons.
