Blue Jackets allegedly traded away players who criticized Patrik Laine & Elvis Merzlikins

PUBLICATION

Axel Williams
August 21, 2024 (9:12)

SHARE THIS STORY

Patrik Laine and Elvis Merzlikins are now under fire due to a report coming from Aaron Portzline of The Athletic, and it makes the Columbus Blue Jackets look terrible.

Laine was traded to the Montreal Canadiens on Monday in a move that shocked the National Hockey League. Now, Portzline is reporting that years ago, the Columbus Blue Jackets had a meeting in which they urged the franchise to trade players like Laine and Merzlikins as they were causing problems in the locker room.

Instead, every single player who spoke up, either left in free agency or was ultimately traded away.

Bad look for Patrick Laine

"I also think back to a meeting with the veteran players, I think it was maybe after the 19-20 season (believe it was 20-21 he meant), and if my recollection is right it was Cam, it was Seth Jones, it was Werenski, it was Foligno for sure, maybe Gus Nyquist. What do we need to do here to make this thing work? You guys know what a good room is like, you've seen it. And the players, they have a hard time doing this sometimes, and you understand why, basically came back with "You gotta get Laine and Merzlikins out of here." That's steps one and two. The organization heard that and said, "You know what let's get rid of the people who said that," not the people that they mentioned. And look who all's gone."

This news is pretty damning and it looks pretty bad for the Blue Jackets organization as a whole. However, it also speaks to the character questions that guys like Merzlikins and Laine have had for years.

Do you believe that Patrik Laine will be an issue in Montreal? Let us know in the poll down below and stay tuned to Hockey Unplugged for the latest news and updates from around the hockey world.

Source: The Hockey News
Were Players Who Spoke Out Against Patrik Laine And Elvis Merzļikins Traded To Protect Them?