Yeah I doubt the Jets are giving Laine away for anything less than one of Domi/Danault and a defenseman (and maybe more). Problem is, I don't think Laine is as good as either one of Domi or Danault, so to trade either one of them for Laine would be a bad move imo, in addition to the extras MTL would have to include to land him.
Sure Laine is younger, but Hall is a much better player. But here's the thing, Hall makes the team better now, not just in terms of what he brings on the ice, but also what he'd cost. All it takes to acquire Hall is cap space, no roster players need to be shuttered (except for cap clearing moves). To get Laine, you have to subtract significant pieces from the roster. So not only are you getting a worse player, but the team is getting worse in the process, since you're gutting the roster to get the worse player.
As for the ages thing, Montreal should be focusing on winning now anyways. Price, Weber, and Petry won't be super effective for long, so MTL should focus on trying to maximize their chances of winning right now. Laine may prove to be a better asset than Hall in 5 years, but in 5 years Price will be 38, Weber will be 40, and Petry will be 37. Sure a 27 year old Laine is likely going to be better than a 34 year old Hall, but at that point it won't matter much; the Habs likely won't be in a position to contend anyways.
