Bryan Little is seen by almost every Jets player, coach, and fan as a pure class player and teammate. When Laine and the Finnish yellow journalist threw Little under the bus with Laine basically saying that Little wasn't good enough to play with him, I expect that lost Laine respect in the locker room, especially with vets that are close to Little. I realize that Laine is a bit of an eccentric guy, but that's a line that most players won't cross, for obvious reasons. Little was gracious about it when Laine apologized, but I think it might have frayed some relationships.
In the end, once the Jets had Scheifele, Ehlers and Connor signed long term to good contracts, they likely saw Laine as their best trade asset to acquire a foundation player at C or D. Chevy said as much. Naturally, Laine and his agents could see the writing on the wall, too.
I think it will work out well for all parties. Laine can be the face of the Jackets and the Jets get their big C to complement Scheifele.
I'll still root for Laine in Columbus. He's a great talent and an interesting personality. But I also think the Jets will be better in the long term with this move, and that will make Wheeler and Scheifele happy.