LA Kings "Poking Around" On Reclamation Project Per Insider

Monday, May 18, 2026 ,


 

The Montreal Canadiens have made it to the second round in the postseason without the help of forward Patrik Laine. 

Laine, who arrived in Montreal after a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets, had thought he had found a new home after a miserable experience in the United States. The experiment playing at center with Pascal Vincent leading the charge fell through, and Blue Jackets fans pathologized his mental issues and took to making fun of him on Twitter.

Ditching the Union Blue and headed north, he joined a legendary organization led by head coach Martin St. Louis after a trade for defenseman Jordan Harris and a second-round draft pick in 2026.

However, he's not been able to do much with his opportunity in Montreal, even while his teammates hunt for a Stanley Cup in the second round of the playoffs. 

This season, he's played a total of five games and scored 1 point. 

Laine has been out the majority of the season, nursing an abdominal injury, and as a pending unrestricted free agent without a solid tenure with the Canadiens, could this be the end for him wearing the tricolore?

Will the Kings Target Patrik Laine?

The Fourth Period's David Pagnotta believes the Los Angeles Kings will make an effort to acquire the sniper in the future. 

Laine has played 537 games in the NHL, split between the Winnipeg Jets, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Montreal Canadiens. 

With limited playoff experience, he could offer some offensive firepower on a Kings team that was decisively eliminated from the first round in the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs. 

 Laine has scored a total of 422 points (224 goals, 198 assists) and was selected second overall in 2016 by the Jets. 

His four-year, $8.7 million average annual value contract expires at the end of the season, as a pending unrestricted free agent. Is Ken Holland game for another reclamation project?


David Kirouac-Imagn Images


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