What Patrik Laine's Immediate NHL Future Could Look Like

Patrik Laine was once a major difference-maker in the NHL.

When the Winnipeg Jets drafted him second overall in 2016, Laine started his career with three 30-goal seasons, including a 44-goal campaign in his sophomore year.

In the decade that's followed, Laine's effectiveness has ebbed – and the 28-year-old is still without a new employer despite NHL free agency being open for nearly two weeks. That said, he's still shown promising goal-scoring ability when he's healthy, suggesting he hasn't lost all his value in the immediate future.

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When he's healthy, Laine can generate a solid amount of offense, usually as a power-play contributor. In 2024-25, when he played 52 games for the Canadiens, 15 of his 20 goals came on the power play, as did 19 of his 34 points.

So you can't waste Laine's goal-scoring skills by inserting him on your third or fourth line and expecting him to put up considerable amounts of offense. You have to give him opportunities on the first or second line and see what Laine has left in the tank.

Laine's injury issues will hang over him until he can demonstrate that his body won't betray him. But it's clear that he can benefit a team when he's healthy. If you're not committing a lot of cap room to Laine, you can rationalize bringing him in.

That said, the opportunity has to fit with where Laine is right now. He's not going to be any use playing on a bottom-feeder team. Even a retooling team probably isn't the right fit for him. He needs to play on a Cup front-runner that's looking for top-six forward help, and if Laine gets that opportunity, he could prove to be a very savvy investment – or a money pit who is close to being out of hockey's top league.

Laine is at a crossroads, and this could be his final opportunity to prove he can be a key cog on a Cup front-runner.

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This story was originally published July 13, 2026 at 10:54 AM.