Patrik Laine's NHL Future Down to 4 Teams
Patrik Laine has been skating a ton in South Florida, while his agent works the phone, searching for a contract for the upcoming season. Laine's the best forward, and biggest wildcard left on the free-agent market, and many around the league are surprised he's yet to sign a contract.
Laine is coming off a five-game season, as the Montreal Canadiens essentially turned their backs on the Finnish forward in January, as he admitted he was healthy enough to play, but the team decided he wasn't an option for them down the stretch of the regular season, and into the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Laine's been training a ton in Florida, which is causing many around the league to feel the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers are linked. The Panthers are going to be without Brad Marchand to start next year, so there's a hole in their lineup to fill. With the winning, and hard-working culture in Florida, it could be a great place for Laine to turn the page on his career, and play some meaningful hockey, for once.
Patrik Laine is skating in South Florida as speculation about his next #NHL stop starts heating up. It’s being reported he could end up in Tampa.
— Dobber (@DobberHockey) August 18, 2026
Last week Toronto and Dallas were being reported as suitors.
Tampa? South Florida? Toronto? Dallas? Somewhere else?
Wherever he… https://t.co/0IWdj40yGD pic.twitter.com/GaKClVJqJy
Tampa Bay also seems like a great fit, as head coach Jon Cooper could be the exact thing needed for Laine to finally reach his maximum potential. They lost Nick Paul up front, and have some holes to fill, and adding a scoring threat like Laine could go a long way.
Two other teams linked to Laine recently are the Toronto Maple Leafs and Dallas Stars. Both teams don't have a ton of cap space to work with, as the Leafs are currently over the cap, but have Max Domi likely heading to LTIR, and Dakota Joshua on the trade market. Laine isn't expected to sign anything more than a one-year deal full of incentives, that would count against the 2027-28 salary cap. The Stars are in need of more scoring up front, and have several Fins who are very familiar to Laine, which could lead to an easier transition. Dallas is also a great place to hide from the wild media noise if things don't go as planned, a much smarter option than joining the Leafs.
Where will Laine end up? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.