New Atlantic Div. Team Linked to Patrik Laine

Oftentimes, when a free agent is still out on the market in the late stages of the summer, or even in training camp, all it takes is an injury to open up an unexpected opportunity. 

The news this past week that Brad Marchand has been forced to undergo last-minute surgery so close to the start of camp might have just opened up one of those doors for UFA Patrik Laine. At least, that's the suggestion from George Richards of Florida Hockey Now. 

Training camp is going to open in about a month, and we do not know how long Marchand is going to be out just yet.

Perhaps Laine gets an audition with the Panthers.

Laine, at least, is pretty connected to some big wigs with the Panthers.

Richards goes on to note two significant ties to the Panthers that Laine holds:

1.  He was a 44-goal scorer for the Winnipeg Jets under now-Florida head coach Paul Maurice, along with a couple of other 30+ goal seasons with him.

2. Laine and Panthers captain Sasha Barkov "know each other well growing up in Tampere, Finland, both playing for Tappara in their younger days."

Additionally, Laine has been seen working out on the ice in South Florida this offseason.

Could Laine replace Marchand in the Panthers lineup? 

Now, make no mistake, Laine is not a direct Marchand replacement. Not by any means. Marchand's gritty play, competitive nature and leadership are three of the farthest things from Laine's toolbox. The latter is a sniper. A power-play weapon. But these days, not a heckuva lot more than that. 

Laine's stock has fallen considerably after a season with the Montreal Canadiens in which he played just five games. He underwent surgery to repair a core muscle injury and was out for several months. But he was apparently recovered and ready to play sometime in January. The Habs decided he couldn't crack their lineup and held him out for the rest of the season. 

The 27-year-old did have 20 goals in a 55-game campaign with Montreal the year before, but the word is out around the league: A one-trick pony who can't stay on the ice. There are not many offers coming his way this summer. 

It appears that Laine will have to take a PTO (professional tryout) offer to get himself into an NHL camp next month. 

Perhaps the Panthers make some sense. 

Laine was also recently linked to five other teams as potentially having interest.