Slow-Developing Trade Market For Patrik Laine
Late last month, Blue Jackets winger Patrik Laine exited the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program which allows for there to be contact between Laine and Columbus. With a known desire for a change of scenery, the team has granted permission for the winger to talk to other teams as well.
However, there hasn’t been much interest in Laine’s services just yet. GM Don Waddell told Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch earlier this week that at this point, only one team has contacted him to express interest in acquiring his services. Given where we are in the offseason, Waddell isn’t particularly surprised nor does he expect the situation to change in the near future:
At this time of the year, people are less responsive. So, I don’t really know. I think it’s going to play out for a while.
Laine’s situation is well-known at this point. He played in just 18 games last season before being shut down due to shoulder surgery in December; he entered the assistance program a little more than a month after that.
The 26-year-old has been a high-end scoring threat in the past and is only two years removed from recording 56 points in as many games; he came close to the point-per-game mark in an injury-marred 2022-23 campaign as well. However, Laine struggled in his limited action last season, notching just six goals and three assists. Suffice it to say, this isn’t a situation where Columbus could be trading him at peak value.
Further complicating things is his contract, one which carries an AAV of $8.7MM for the next two years while his actual cash payout each year is $9.1MM (though $2MM of that has likely already been paid in the form of a signing bonus for this year). Very few teams have that much cap space to absorb the contract outright. Waddell has indicated his preference would be to make more of a pure ‘hockey trade’ but that might be hard to come by at this point. To that end, the GM acknowledged that some retention might be required to ultimately push a move over the finish line:
We might end up eating some money. If I wanted to eat half, I could’ve traded him by now, but that’s not my first choice.
With rookie camps about six weeks away, executives will likely try to take some time away before getting ready for training camps. Based on the tepid interest thus far, there’s a good chance that’s already the case. As a result, while Laine is now free to speak to potentially interested teams, it looks as if it will take some time for a potential market to materialize.
Patrik Laine Exits NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program
Blue Jackets forward Patrik Laine has been released from the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program after being cleared by its doctors today, reports Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch.
The news comes amid a trade request from Laine that’s stood since at least June, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reported at the time. As Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman points out, Laine is still recovering from clavicle/shoulder surgery that ended his 2023-24 season back in December. The Finnish winger entered the Player Assistance Program about five weeks after sustaining the injury.
Trade talks couldn’t progress with Laine in the program. It was widely reported that interested parties wanted to speak with Laine before acquiring him, which was prohibited before he was cleared. Now that he’s been released from the program, those talks with other teams can now commence. Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell declined to comment on Laine’s clearance and future trade talks today, per The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline.
Among potential landing spots for the 26-year-old, Friedman named the Kraken as a team to watch last month. The Athletic’s Michael Russo and Joe Smith later reported the Wild had engaged in preliminary discussions for the sniper as well.
Laine’s numerous injuries last season, including an upper-body ailment, limited him to just six goals and three assists in 18 games. But in the two preceding years, the 2016 second-overall pick had been a force for Columbus, averaging nearly a point per game (108 in 111 GP) while logging an ATOI of 18:58. When healthy, he remains a top-line winger, but the first part of this sentence is a large caveat. He hasn’t played more than 60 games in a season since before the pandemic.
Even with Laine out of the program, those injury concerns will remain. That’ll likely force Waddell to retain a solid chunk of his $8.7MM cap hit in a prospective trade to make it an appealing swap for both sides financially. Laine remains under contract through 2025-26, and he’ll be a UFA upon expiry. He can block a trade to 10 teams with his modified no-trade clause, per PuckPedia.
Outside of the trade discussions, it’s always good news to see a player cleared to return to action from the program. All of us at PHR wish Laine the best as he continues his NHL career.
Snapshots: Blue Jackets Coaching, Laine, Ekman-Larsson
The Columbus Blue Jackets should be nearing the end of their head coaching search, per Aaron Portzline of The Athletic, who shares that he expects a decision to be made before August 1st (Twitter link). Portzline later added that Dean Evason and Jay Woodcroft seem to be the final sparring pair and that the team is running out of time to handle the logistics of hiring a new leader.
Woodcroft and Evason are both coming off midseason dismissals last year. Woodcroft was replaced in Edmonton by rookie head coach Kris Knoblauch, who proceeded to carry the Oilers to the Stanley Cup Finals. John Hynes, Evanson’s successor, didn’t have as much success in taking over the Minnesota Wild – though still improving on Evason’s 5-10-4 start to the season. But aside from that similarity, the two candidates couldn’t be more different. Woodcroft, 47, is just three years into his NHL head coaching career, after leading the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors to a championship in 2021. He’s shown off a sharp and strategic eye, while Evason has proven more grizzled and old-school – traits he honed over a 13-year playing career in the NHL. They’ll take Columbus’ young and promising lineup down very different paths, leaving general manager Don Waddell with a tough choice on what he sees working best for his new roster.
Other notes from around the league:
- Don Waddell will also face the imposing trade of high-scoring winger Patrik Laine before the start of next season. But the process is currently at a standstill, shares Portzline, as interested teams wait for Laine to clear the NHL Player’s Association before they meet with him. The team is still expected to part ways with Laine before the start of next season, but the timeline of a move will remain murky until he’s fully available.
- Reigning Stanley Cup-winning defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson called his decision to sign with the Toronto Maple Leafs a “gut feeling” in an interview with Craig Morgan of GoPHNX.com, adding “I’ve always liked coming in there as an away team, playing in that building. It’s always special,” the blue-liner continued. “Obviously, there’s a lot of history in the organization and I feel like they have a really good team that has a chance to do something special as well.” Ekman-Larsson is coming off a resurgent year with the Panthers, posting 32 points across 80 games and looking much more reliable than in his pair of seasons with the Vancouver Canucks. His best years are certainly behind him, but Ekman-Larsson should offer stout puck-moving ability out of a third-pair role in Toronto – hopefully boosting much-needed consistency out of the team’s depth options.
Poll: Which Player Will Be The Next Domino To Fall On The Trade Market?
The NHL calendar has finally entered the ‘dog days’ of the summer as activity around the league has cooled off dramatically. Most, if not all, of the needle-moving free agents are off the board and the trade market has not developed as expected up to this point. Nevertheless, there are still some players rumored to be on the block including Nikolaj Ehlers of the Winnipeg Jets, Martin Necas of the Carolina Hurricanes, and Patrik Laine of the Columbus Blue Jackets.
With how things have played out around the league, Ehlers feels like the most high-profile trade candidate to change hands this summer. The smooth-skating Dane is entering the last year of a seven-year, $42MM contract signed with the Jets in 2017 and is not expected to extend his stay in Winnipeg. Ehlers has been a reliable top-six forward for the Jets when healthy and is elite in terms of puck possession as evidenced by his career CorsiFor% of 57.6%. He has been relatively quiet in the postseason throughout his career which could give interested parties some pause. Winnipeg could still extend Ehlers as they took nearly the entire offseason last year to sign Mark Scheifele and Connor Hellebuyck to long-term contracts but the trade rumors around Ehlers appear to have more veracity.
Necas entered the summer as one of the top players on the trading block but his market has seemingly cooled over the last few weeks. The Hurricanes reportedly were not interested in signing Necas to a long-term deal but failed to find an offer to their liking during the 2024 NHL Draft. Now that Carolina has lost forwards Jake Guentzel, Teuvo Teravainen, and Stefan Noesen to free agency, the team may be more willing to retain Necas. The skilled forward has prohibited himself from being given an offer sheet this summer as he elected for salary arbitration but the Hurricanes can still trade him during that window if they find a suitable offer.
Shortly before the 2024 NHL Draft, it was reported that Laine and the Columbus Blue Jackets had mutually agreed to find a suitable trade for the player this summer. However, with Laine still in the NHLPA Player Assistance Program, the likelihood of a deal squarely rests on when he exits the program. Now that most teams have done most of their heavy lifting this summer, it will be difficult to find a trade partner to take on Laine’s $8.7MM salary for the next two years. Between 2021-2023, Laine scored 48 goals and 108 points for Columbus in 111 games but only put up nine points in 18 games for the team last year. The former second-overall pick could surely use a fresh start outside the Blue Jackets organization but his trade market may be slow to develop.
There is no guarantee that any of the listed players will be moved this offseason. Ehlers and Necas could both sign extensions with their respective teams and Laine may have a change of heart now that Columbus is making a change at head coach. Nevertheless, with the trade market being the realm from which the next big offseason move will come, which of these players do you think will get the ball rolling?
Which Player Will Be The Next Domino To Fall On The Trade Market?
-
Patrik Laine 33% (416)
-
Nikolaj Ehlers 33% (415)
-
Martin Necas 23% (286)
-
Other (Comment below) 11% (141)
Total votes: 1,258
Blue Jackets Notes: Coaching Search, Laine, Dumais, Matteau
The Blue Jackets continue to have the lone head coaching vacancy in the NHL following last month’s dismissal of Pascal Vincent. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports (subscription link) that a decision on a new bench boss is expected this week with Todd McLellan, Jay Woodcroft, and Dean Evason believed to be among the remaining finalists. Last month, McLellan was suggested to be the front-runner for the position. There has been a lot of turnover behind the bench in Columbus in recent years. Since John Tortorella was let go in 2021, they’ve gone through three head coaches since, Brad Larsen (two years), Mike Babcock (who resigned before coaching a single game), and Vincent, who only had one season before being let go.
More from Columbus:
- Also from Portzline’s piece, winger Patrik Laine has not yet been cleared from the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance program. While Columbus can trade him while he’s in the program, GM Don Waddell previously indicated that teams want to speak to Laine before considering putting an offer in for his services. Those conversations can’t happen until he’s cleared. The 26-year-old was limited to just nine points in 18 games last season and has two years left on his contract with an $8.7MM cap hit along with a 10-team no-trade list.
- Prospect Jordan Dumais might not be cleared to fully participate in training camp in September, relays Brian Hedger of The Columbus Dispatch. The 20-year-old was a dominant scorer in the QMJHL, putting up 140 points in 64 games in 2022-23 and had 47 in 21 games last season before being shut down midseason to undergo hip surgery. Dumais will be AHL-eligible for the first time in 2024-25 and stands to play a big role with AHL Cleveland next season when he’s fully cleared to play.
- Speaking of Cleveland, they announced the re-signing of winger Stefan Matteau to a one-year deal. The 30-year-old previously spent two years with them back in 2019-20 and 2020-21 before going to Colorado but returned on a minor league deal last season where he had six points in 15 regular season games before adding seven more in 14 playoff contests. Matteau, a 2012 first-round pick, has 92 career NHL appearances under his belt with a total of 11 points.
Penguins Options To Play On Sidney Crosby’s Line
The Pittsburgh Penguins reportedly took a swing at acquiring veteran free agent winger Vladimir Tarasenko to play in their top-six forward group alongside Sidney Crosby but lost out on his services to the Detroit Red Wings. Tarasenko signed a two-year $9.5MM deal with the Red Wings and the Penguins’ interest indicates that they aren’t satisfied with their top two lines as they head into what is likely to be a transitional season for the franchise. The Penguins have Bryan Rust, Rickard Rakell, and Michael Bunting returning next season and finished last season with youngster Drew O’Connor replacing Jake Guentzel on the top line as Crosby’s left winger.
O’Connor played well for the Penguins, but he would be better served as a third liner in an ideal world. But given the Penguins’ lack of cap space, and apparent eye towards the future, none of their options will be ideal, but they do have some options when it comes to Crosby’s left winger next season.
Trade Options
Nikolaj Ehlers: Ehlers hasn’t been given an opportunity to be a top-line player with the Winnipeg Jets despite being one of their most effective players. He is the type of player that has thrived with Crosby historically, as he has high-end skill, is a high-level thinker, and is very deceptive and skilled at finding open space. The issue with Ehlers is that he is a year from free agency and the price tag to acquire him will be far too high for the Penguins’ taste given their apparent pivot to acquiring draft picks and younger players. Murat Ates of The Athletic reported a few weeks ago that Ehlers isn’t likely to extend in Winnipeg but given his age and recent injury history, it’s hard to imagine the Penguins acquiring and extending him long-term.
Patrik Laine: The 26-year-old has fallen on hard times in recent years with the Columbus Blue Jackets but remains an intriguing option on the trade market. Laine is a former second-overall pick who has dealt with injuries in recent seasons but can still score when he is healthy. The Tampere, Finland native was a point-a-game player from 2021-23 but had just nine points in 18 games last season. While the drop in offensive production is alarming, Laine averaged almost four minutes less per game in ice time and wasn’t playing with a skilled center. That being said, his injury issues are a concern and could reduce the cost of acquiring him from Columbus. Laine is a liability defensively and doesn’t necessarily compete on every shift, however, if he were to play on the Penguins’ top line, he would be the best pure goal scorer that Crosby has ever played with.
Unrestricted Free Agent Options
Max Pacioretty: The 35-year-old Pacioretty is well removed from his days as a perennial 30-goal scorer as injuries and the aging curve have slowed down his production. Last year he dressed in 47 games tallying four goals and 19 assists while registering a -14. Pacioretty’s offensive numbers don’t look terrible at first glance, however, nearly half his points came on the power play as he tallied just two goals and 10 assists at even strength. Pacioretty won’t be expensive to sign on a one-year deal, but he hasn’t played more than 47 games in three seasons and his body likely wouldn’t be able to withstand the stress of playing almost 20 minutes a night next to Crosby.
James van Riemsdyk: van Riemsdyk is another former 30-goal scorer on the wrong side of 35 but is coming off a decent offensive season with the Boston Bruins. The Middletown, New Jersey native posted 11 goals and 27 assists last season in 71 games and wasn’t a burden on his teammates. The former second overall pick doesn’t have the pace to play in the top six anymore and would likely be a non-factor in transition which would be a big problem playing with Crosby. JVR could work on the Penguins’ power play and would give the team a net-front presence that they’ve lacked since trading Patric Hornqvist in 2020, however, he might not be physical enough at this point to be effective in the role. At this stage of his career, van Riemsdyk is best served as a fourth-line winger, something the Penguins have more than enough of.
Internal Options
Drew O’Connor: is coming off a career year in which he posted 16 goals and 17 assists in 79 games (all career highs). While those numbers aren’t earth-shattering, they are a remarkable improvement on his previous career year in 2022-23 when he posted just five goals and six assists in 46 games. O’Connor is not a pure offensive player and doesn’t possess strong passing skills or a great, however, he is fast and physical and plays a smart game. All traits they were possessed by one of Crosby’s former long-time wingers Chris Kunitz. O’Connor might be the easiest option for Pittsburgh to slide in alongside Crosby and might be the one they have to use if they don’t facilitate another transaction.
Brayden Yager: Pittsburgh’s 2023 first-round pick (14th overall) is coming off an incredible season with the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors in which he posted 35 goals and 60 assists in 57 games. He is likely a season or two away from being ready for the NHL, but the Penguins might opt to give him a nine-game audition to see what they have in the youngster. Yager is a sneaky good shooter and is excellent at taking passes in his shooting pocket, allowing him to fire off shots quickly and accurately. If he can show in training camp that he deserves a longer look he could play his way onto Crosby’s wing for at least a few games if not longer.
Crosby’s Next Winger
The Penguins had issues finding Crosby a linemate early in his career but eventually found a perfect match with Jake Guentzel. Now with Guentzel signed long-term in Tampa Bay, the Penguins are tasked with finding new linemates for Crosby in what will be the final stretch of his NHL career. While all of the options above present some downside, the Penguins are unlikely to find another Guentzel-like player and will need to make some type of concession heading into next season while keeping an eye on the future.
Morning Notes: Askarov, Tanev, Laine
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet is reporting that the Nashville Predators have told teams interested in goaltending prospect Yaroslav Askarov that they would like to get a current NHLer back in a trade or another highly touted forward or defensive prospect.
The 22-year-old Askarov appeared to be the Predators goaltender of the future, but with Juuse Saros expected to sign a long-term extension in Nashville, Askarov will not have a path to a starter job in the NHL until he is in his 30s. Given his pedigree as an 11th overall pick and his solid AHL numbers, Askarov figures to be an NHL goalie sooner than later, but it appears likely that it will happen in a different market than Nashville.
In other morning notes:
- Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet is guessing that the Toronto Maple Leafs will look to sign recently acquired defenseman Chris Tanev to a six-year, $24MM contract extension. Toronto acquired Tanev’s rights yesterday and early reports indicated that they could offer a deal of five to eight years in length. The 34-year-old Tanev wasn’t likely to sign in Dallas and the team elected to get something for him rather than letting him walk for free. Toronto has long sought after a defenseman like Tanev, and now that they’ve jumped the line to negotiate with him, they are expected to get a deal done.
- Michael Russo and Joe Smith of The Athletic write that the Minnesota Wild have had talks with the Columbus Blue Jackets about potentially acquiring scorer Patrik Laine. The 26-year-old Laine hasn’t been the goal-scorer he was when he broke into the league with the Winnipeg Jets back in 2016-17 but hasn’t had much support in Columbus and was limited to just 18 games last season. A change of scenery could be just what Laine needs as he tries to get his career back on track. The Wild struggled to score last season and with limited cap space, they will be looking for bounce-back seasons from several current players. Acquiring Laine might provide a safety net for Minnesota if they aren’t able to get depth scoring from their current roster of players.
Blue Jackets Notes: Fourth Overall Pick, Laine, Hartley
The Blue Jackets are open for business regarding their fourth overall pick in next week’s draft, GM and president of hockey operations Don Waddell said today (via Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch). They wouldn’t be looking at shopping the pick for an immediate roster upgrade, though.
Moving back in the draft is the only option if they’re parting with the pick, Waddell implied. He said “the price is high” to get them to do it, citing multiple other teams in the top 10 are also listening to offers to swap their picks.
If they don’t move the pick, the Blue Jackets are looking at their fourth top-10 pick in a row. Previous selections include Kent Johnson (fifth overall, 2021), David Jiříček (sixth overall, 2022) and Adam Fantilli (third overall, 2023).
Other quick hits from Waddell at this morning’s media availability:
- Columbus hasn’t had any substantive trade discussions involving Patrik Laine yet, Waddell said (via Hedger). He’s actively in contact with Laine’s representation about trade options, but isn’t yet talking to other teams while Laine is still receiving treatment in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. Waddell said that when they do get to the point of making a trade, he’d like it to be for established talent in return (via the team’s Jeff Svoboda). Laine and the Blue Jackets are seemingly both happy with parting ways this summer. Among interested parties, the Kraken have already been linked to his services.
- Longtime NHL coach Bob Hartley has reached out to Waddell about the Blue Jackets’ vacancy, he confirmed (via Hedger). Hartley, who coached the Avalanche to a Stanley Cup in 2001, also worked under Waddell with the Atlanta Thrashers from 2003 to 2007. He hasn’t coached in the league since a four-year run with the Flames from 2012 to 2016, however. His only experience since has come overseas with Avangard Omsk of the Kontinental Hockey League, a post he held from 2018 to 2022. In 2021, Hartley was named the KHL’s Coach of the Year and guided Omsk to a Gagarin Cup championship.
Kraken Linked To Patrik Laine
With Patrik Laine now officially on the trade block, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet says that the Kraken are a team to watch in talks for the scoring winger (audio link to “32 Thoughts”). It’s not clear how much Seattle general manager Ron Francis has explored a move, but Friedman believes there’s a “real push in that organization to be more aggressive” this summer as the team enters its fourth season of existence.
Few expected scoring to be a major issue for the Kraken this season after their capable death-by-depth offense erupted for 289 goals last year, but their shooting percentage cratered this season en route to finishing 29th in the league in goals. A major hiccup has been the health of top-six winger André Burakovsky, who’s missed nearly half the campaign with injuries in back-to-back years. While he was effective last season when healthy, the same couldn’t be said in 2023-24. His 16 points in 49 games worked out to 0.33 points per game, tied for the lowest of his 10-year NHL career.
Acquiring Laine would add a player with even more exaggerated issues staying healthy over the past couple of years, but he’d immediately become the highest-ceiling scoring option on the roster. The Kraken have been largely comfortable with Jared McCann as their top sniper, averaging 32 goals per season in a Kraken uniform, but Laine’s sparkling career 14.7 shooting percentage is hard to pass up.
It is impossible to ignore Laine’s availability issues over the past three seasons. Injuries limited him to 129 out of 246 games, missing 47.6% of regular-season action during that time. He played just 18 games this season, although he also spent much of the year in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program after dealing with an upper-body injury in the first few months of the campaign.
However, during the two campaigns that he logged 50+ games in Columbus, he was worth his $8.7MM cap hit when in the lineup. The 2016 second-overall pick arguably had the best offensive showings of his career, pacing out for 38 goals and 82 points in 2021-22 and 33 goals and 78 points in 2022-23. Neither would have eclipsed his career high of 44 goals set with the Jets in 2017-18, but they would have both marked a career-best single-season point total.
There’s also breakout potential for Laine if he can stay healthy in a Kraken system that encourages puck possession. While they will have some different schemes next season under head coach Dan Bylsma, Seattle has consistently been a better even-strength puck possession team than Columbus over the past few years, and there’s little reason to see that not continuing without much roster turnover expected this summer. That means more opportunities for Laine to shoot and gives him a half-decent chance of sniffing the 40-goal plateau once again, especially if reunited with a skilled playmaker like former Blue Jackets teammate Oliver Bjorkstrand.
His power-play impact would also be beneficial. Laine led the league in power-play goals with 20 during his breakout sophomore campaign, and he’d help charge up a Kraken man-advantage unit that’s clicked at 18.4% over the past three seasons, 28th in the league during that time.
The Kraken aren’t a team that loves big cap hits, though. Defenseman Vince Dunn is their most expensive player annually at $7.35MM. Laine’s $8.7MM cap hit is worth it for his goal-scoring ability, but it’s hard for a lot of teams to justify absorbing it for a player who hasn’t played 60-plus games since before the pandemic.
But they do need scoring, and as Friedman articulates, their coaching change is indicative of a clear desire to return to postseason play in 2025. They have the financial flexibility to pull off a move with $23.424MM in projected cap space, although they do still need new deals for notable RFA forwards Matthew Beniers and Eeli Tolvanen.
Metropolitan Notes: Devils, Kakko, Blue Jackets
It’s well-known that the Devils are looking to upgrade between the pipes this summer. However, as Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports (video link), that’s hardly the only thing on their wish list. In addition to searching for a starting goalie, Seravalli relays that New Jersey is also looking for a top-six forward, a bottom-six forward, a top-four defenseman, and a bottom-four blueliner. That’s a particularly long wish list and is one that they’ll be hard-pressed to fit within their remaining cap room. Per CapFriendly, they have a little under $20MM in space to work with but a fair-sized chunk of that will go to pending RFA Dawson Mercer. Accordingly, while GM Tom Fitzgerald is hoping to add that many pieces this summer, he might have to settle for a bit less unless there’s a cost-cutting move coming somewhere.
More from the Metropolitan:
- While the Rangers and Kaapo Kakko agreed to a one-year, $2.4MM deal on Thursday, that might not be enough to quell any trade speculation. As Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman relayed in the latest 32 Thoughts podcast (audio link), it’s possible that this was done to provide more certainty to interested teams as to what his cap charge will be for next season without having to worry about salary arbitration. Kakko is coming off a down year that saw him record just 13 goals and six assists in 61 games, hardly the type of production New York was hoping for from the second-overall pick in 2019.
- New Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell has some work to do to reshape Columbus this offseason. To that end, he told Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch that he is telling teams that “for the right price, everything is in play”. He has been fielding calls inquiring about the fourth overall selection in a couple of weeks although it would be surprising to see them most that pick. Meanwhile, it certainly looks like Patrik Laine could be on the move in the coming weeks and other veterans could also go as Waddell puts his stamp on the team. After another last-place finish in the Metropolitan, it could be another busy summer in Columbus.