Patrik Laine accepts Jacket’s offer, becomes highest paid player in Columbus

Patrik Laine has made up his mind. The forward has accepted a $7.5 million qualifying offer from the Columbus Blue Jackets, per Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman. 

It will be official on Wednesday. 

He therefore becomes the team’s highest paid player next season. He also gets an increase of $750,000 from his $6.75 million salary cap value this past year. 

This one-year deal gives the Blue Jackets’ management more time to convince Laine to stay in Columbus for the long run and to sign a longer extension.

It also gives Laine the chance to prove he can be a much better player than what he managed to do on the ice last year. He struggled after getting traded from the Winnipeg Jets with forward Jack Roslovic to the Blue Jackets Jan. 23 for Pierre-Luc Dubois and a 2022 third-round pick. He posted career lows in almost every offensive category — finishing with just 12 goals, 12 assists and 24 points in 46 games — but there is significant rebound potential. 

It was also quite clear that he did not get along with then head coach John Tortorella, and could perform much better under Brad Larsen. 

By signing the qualifying offer, Laine will have one additional year left of restricted free agency and could eventually become an unrestricted free agent at 25, a remarkably young age to hit the NHL’s open market.