Shock meeting with Blue Jackets veterans leads to the departure of forward Patrik Laine

The trade of Patrik Laine from the Columbus Blue Jackets was a long time coming, and now the veteran has a new home with the Montreal Canadiens as he looks to revive his once promising career in the NHL. While the motivating factor was seen as Laine's unhappiness in Columbus, it appears others were unhappy with him too, as reporter Aaron Portzline has revealed that a while ago, a meeting behind the scenes saw four Blue Jackets approach the team and demand they trade Laine, along with veteran Elvis Merzlikins.

Of those four players, just one remains with the team now in star blue liner Zach Werenski, but it just goes to show that plenty of Laine's teammates were unhappy with him, dating back several years.

It's unclear exactly what prompted the meeting with four veterans, but it must have been very bad to get to that level, and with the negativity already coming out about Laine since his departure, we may find out at some point in the very near future.

Source: Hockey Latest
Four Columbus Blue Jackets veterans reportedly pushed Patrik Laine out of the organization