According to a recent report from Montreal Canadiens insider Maxime Truman of Dans Les Coulisses ('Behind the Scenes'), Patrik Laine turned down a trade to the Philadelphia Flyers before agreeing to a contract with the Canadiens.
It's probably safe to say that Laine wasn't satisfied with what the Flyers had to offer, and didn't want to be under the coaching of John Tortorella again, as Laine played a season for him with the Blue Jackets back in 2020-21 before Tortorella moved to the Flyers.