According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, Columbus Blue Jackets forward Patrik Laine has cleared the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance program and is free to return to the team. Laine has made it known that he wants a fresh start somewhere else, putting a top-six forward on the trade market in the doldrums of the offseason. With the Buffalo Sabres potentially looking to add another scoring winger, Laine’s name is undoubtedly going to be tossed around.

Whether This is shocking and unexpected news due to the breach of contractcan help the Sabres is the diagnosis we’ll get to, but first, there are three hurdles.

1. Physical Health

First off, he’s recovering from shoulder surgery. Laine only managed to play 18 games last season for the Blue Jackets. His durability is a concern, as, over four seasons in Columbus, the forward’s highest number of games played in a season is 56.

2. Mental Health

It’s no secret that Laine’s struggled to find his place in the league since being drafted second overall by the Winnipeg Jets in 2016. He’s a prolific goal-scorer but wasn’t to establish himself as a leader or go-to player on his teams. His discontent with his place in Columbus is now the second time he’s worked himself out of a market at only 26 years old.

3. Contract

Patrik Laine’s entering year three of four on his current contract, which carries an $8.7 million cap hit, per PuckPedia. The Sabres have a lot of cap space, but not quite that much room to take on Laine’s deal in full. Given the tight cap situations across the NHL, the Blue Jackets would likely have to retain salary on a Laine trade anyway.