Canadiens acquire Patrik Laine from Blue Jackets in exchange for Haverhill native and NU product Jordan Harris

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The Columbus Blue Jackets traded forward Patrik Laine to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for defenseman Jordan Harris and a second-round draft pick in 2026.

The Blue Jackets were without the 26-year-old Laine for much of the 2023-24 season. He sought help from the NHL’s player assistance program in January and made it known that his issues were mental-health related. He was cleared in July.

“We want players that want to be Blue Jackets, and Patrik made it clear that he thought a change of scenery was best for him,” Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell said Monday. “We were able to acquire a good young player in Jordan Harris while maintaining financial flexibility in this deal, which was very important to us. We wish Patrik all the best.”

Laine was drafted second overall by the Winnipeg Jets in 2016. He has two seasons remaining on a four-year, $34.8 million contract he signed July 22, 2022.

In four seasons with the Blue Jackets, Laine had 64 goals and 74 assists in 174 games, including two 20-goal seasons.

The 24-year-old Harris has recorded eight goals and 24 assists in 131 career games over two-plus seasons with Montreal. The Haverhill native was an All-American at Northeastern, serving as a captain for a Huskies squad that captured the program’s first Hockey East regular season title in 2022 and reached the NCAA tournament.

He scored the game-winning goal as a sophomore in the 2020 Beanpot championship game as Northeastern won its third consecutive title with a 5-4 win in double overtime over Boston University. He signed with the Canadiens after his senior season on March 26, 2022.