Patrik Laine finished out his season for the Montreal Canadiens in the press box. At his year-end press conference, he confirmed that he "could've played pretty soon after New Year's." Though Laine is not the player from yesteryear who consistently put up 30 goal seasons, there is still a part of his game that can put the puck in the net. Which is something the Ottawa Senators needed more of during last season and desperately needed in the playoffs. His current cap hit of $8.7M will surely be going down on the next contract, and in fact, it may be more of a bonus-laden structure.
There was incentive for Laine to stay on IR though as he will now be able to sign a bonus laden contract as a UFA with a lower base salary which will make him more appealing to teams. https://t.co/89CpZqjsyE
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) June 1, 2026
No doubt there will be a buyer-beware feeling toward Laine and whether or not what he has produced in the last few years is truly due to injuries or if his career in the NHL is coming to a slow close. But we've seen teams in the past take a chance on a player and give them the opportunity to prove that they can be the player they once were, and it has paid back in spades. From the Canadiens' perspective, it was easier to keep Laine on the IR as they were winning and didn't need to inject goal scoring, but in free agency, Laine will be hungry to prove he's still got it.
This is where Ottawa could come in. This team has been looking to find a winger to work with star centre Tim Stützle for a few seasons now, and not many come along that have scored multiple 30 plus goal seasons. If General Manager Steve Staios wants to present Laine an opportunity for a fresh start and to play with one of the league's premier young forwards, that could be enticing. Obviously the contract will have a lower base salary of between $1M and $2M, and then for every 10 goals and games played threshold Laine meets, it's an added $500K. So it's a low-cost risk and potentially a very high reward if he can find his mojo.
Does Laine fit the mould of what the Senators are building? Probably not at what he is right now. However, that doesn't mean a player can't come in and experience the culture and habits that are in the room and build off of that. If there was a deal to be made for Laine that brought out the best in him, Ottawa could be one of the perfect landing spots for him to do it.
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