Patrik Laine Linked To Multiple Teams

Failing to land a contract for the 2026-27 season through the first few months of the offseason, winger Patrik Laine could find a new home relatively soon. According to Herb Zurkowsky of the Montreal Gazette, the Minnesota Wild, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, and Tampa Bay Lightning have shown interest in Laine. Additionally, Andre Leal of The Hockey News lists the Toronto Maple Leafs as another team interested in the former second-overall pick.

Assuming the report is accurate, that is a much larger list than was previously believed. Earlier in the offseason, the only team publicly linked to Laine was the New York Islanders. However, it made sense that Laine hadn’t joined the Islanders, given that they were only willing to offer him a professional tryout agreement for the preseason. Still, there is no indication that another team would be willing to offer him anything more.

At face value, joining the Flyers would make a lot of sense for Laine. Philadelphia had the league’s worst powerplay success rate last season, and that’s an area of the game where Laine excels. However, given his defensive shortcomings, it’s unlikely that Laine would have a prominent role in the lineup at even strength. The Flyers have a lot of young forwards, especially wingers, that could compete for a roster spot in September, and signing Laine would immediately take a spot away from one of them.

Among the remaining teams, there are arguments for and against signing Laine. The Wild saw a lot of offense depart on the free agent market this summer, and bringing in Laine could help offset some of that. New York is in retool mode, so they are in a better position than most to allow Laine to rediscover his game.

On the other side, the Lightning and Maple Leafs don’t make a ton of sense. Laine is an offense-only winger, and both Tampa Bay and Toronto have worked to get grittier this offseason, something that Laine doesn’t have in his arsenal. For the last several years, the Lightning and Maple Leafs have had little need for additional offense. However, they have struggled to overcome the trench warfare brought on by the Florida Panthers. Given his playstyle, Laine isn’t a top choice to play in the nastier side of the game.

Regardless, it’s becoming clearer that Laine will likely find a new home for the 2026-27 season, limiting the possibility that he would return overseas to increase his value. Due to his injury history, he qualifies for a performance-based contract, making his low base cap hit more attractive to interested teams.