While he won't be returning to the Montreal Canadiens, where Patrik Laine ends up will be one of the more fascinating stories this offseason. The former first-round pick played in only five games last season and 57 over the past two seasons with the Canadiens, but should have his pick of teams next season due to one caveat.
Recently, The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun wrote that Patrik Laine should have a market in free agency as he is a low-risk free agent target. This past season, since he spent over 100 days on injured reserve, he can sign a performance bonus-based contract.
"There is a decent level of interest in pending UFA Patrik Laine, 28. The hook there is that teams can sign him to a low-risk deal because he spent more than 100 days on injured reserve this past season, meaning he’s eligible for a performance bonus-based contract at a low average annual value."
Laine has unfortunately dealt with more than his fair share of injuries as he has played in 60 or fewer games in each of the past six seasons. Over the past three seasons, he has played only a total of 65 games between his two seasons with the Canadiens and his final season with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Patrik Laine has shown he can be an effective goal scorer when healthy
However, when he is on the ice, he has shown he can be an effective scorer, particularly for a team looking for power play help, as LeBrun noted. He has a career shooting percentage of 14.8 and in 2024-25, had 20 goals in 52 games with Montreal, with 15 of them being power play goals.
While it seemed like Laine was ready to return at some point this season, the Canadiens might have done him a favor by not activating him. For teams that have limited cap space, like the Edmonton Oilers or the Tampa Bay Lightning, there isn't much reason not to offer him a one-year deal that is bonus-heavy and get a boost to their scoring.
The Montreal Canadiens traded for Laine prior to the 2024-25 season for defenseman Jordan Harris, while also getting a 2026 second-round pick in return from Columbus.
While Laine didn't work out, the Canadiens were able to use the second-round pick to acquire Phillip Danault this season. It was worth a risk, but in the end, the trade worked out for Montreal, and now Laine has a chance to continue his career elsewhere and show he can still contribute in the NHL.
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