Odds Of Patrik Laine Being Traded By The Canadiens

Patrik Laine's name has come up in some trade rumors this summer and he is an odd player to pinpoint. He has consistently been one of the most inconsistent players in the NHL since arriving, but when he's on, he's excellent and dominant offensively.

The Montreal Canadiens have him under contract at $8.7 million AAV for one final year and it was an interesting 2024-25 for him to say the least. He finished with 20 goals and 33 points in 52 games, but then only played two playoff games as he was sat. 15 of Laine's 20 goals came on the power play where he averaged nearly three minutes of ice time per game. He is much less effective at 5-on-5, which will continue to see him play bottom-6 minutes.

The Canadiens don't need cap space right now, so trading Laine isn't exactly urgent. Frank Seravalli said that he thinks a Laine trade is probably pretty unlikely at this point and we should wait to see until after the season gets going. It will depend on his productivity level.

Laine could just as easily start hot as he could start ice cold. He showed both for Montreal last season. With Ivan Demidov and Zack Bolduc, Laine isn't likely to see top-6 time unless injuries get bad. His cap hit really doesn't match his production level, especially considering it's hard for him to stay healthy, but having him in a reduced role and playing a lot of power play with his shot won't hurt the Canadiens.

No team is also going to take on Laine's contract for free before the season unless it's maybe the San Jose Sharks since their forward group looks bad. Options are more likely to open up throughout the season, but if Laine plays better than expected and is a little less inconsistent, there is no reason to trade him in the final year of his deal with playoff expectations.