2 Teams Named As Frontrunners For Patrik Laine In Free Agency

For teams looking to add a little scoring punch to their lineup at a reduced rate, one of the names to watch when free agency kicks off on Wednesday at noon is Patrik Laine. The former 2nd overall pick (2016 Draft) is a seven-time 20-goal scorer. 

Laine's 2025-26 season was a write-off in Montreal, however, as a severe core muscle injury knocked him out after just five games back in October, and he would never return to the Canadiens lineup the rest of the season. But in 2024-25, his first year in Montreal, he recorded 20 goals in just 52 games. 

Insider David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period tells us that two teams seem to be the frontrunners right now for Laine:

Patrik Laine should drum up a solid amount of interest on Wednesday. Los Angeles is one team to look out for, and I believe the Tampa Bay Lightning are another. 

The Kings certainly need to bolster their offense, and the Lightning could use another sniper on the power play. As Josh Wegman wrote in The Score, Tampa Bay would be "an excellent place for Laine to rebuild his value on a one-year deal, and he could fill a specific skill set the team has lacked the last two seasons: a right-handed howitzer from the left flank on the power play." 

Laine, still only 28, began his career with the Winnipeg Jets with four excellent seasons, the first three of which topped the 30-goal mark. He was dealt to the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2020, and injuries began to wreak havoc on his ability to stay on the ice. He hasn't been able to play more than 56 games in a season over the past six years. 

But he was fully recovered and medically cleared to play by the end of this past campaign. In fact, Laine suggested he could have suited up shortly after the new year. But Montreal had moved on with a lineup that was clicking well, and there was no real spot for Laine. 

Coming off an $8.7 million cap hit, Laine will have to take a huge pay cut in free agency, as he is projected to have to sign a "prove-it" type of deal, of a year or two, with an AAV ranging from the league minimum ($850,000) up to a couple million, likely packed with performance and games-played bonuses.