It’s nearly August, and nothing has changed on the Laine front. He’s still in the Player Assistance Program and is still a Columbus Blue Jacket. GM Don Waddell was hoping that Laine would be cleared by the program before free agency, but now that the busy part of the off-season has come and gone, one has to wonder what happens from here.
With training camp only two months away, a trade is becoming less and less likely. It’s hard to imagine Laine getting cleared by the NHLPA while the entire league unwinds at their summer cabin somewhere in Ontario.