As the NHL draft finally nears, the offseason rumors are starting to heat up, and that brought the news out of Columbus that Patrik Laine could be made available via trade. Laine, now 26 years old, has 480 games of NHL experience and 388 NHL points to his name since he was drafted second overall back in 2016. He’s got two years left on his current contract that pays him $8.7 million a season. Could the Philadelphia Flyers be potential suitors for the Finnish sensation?
Pros
Laine is still really good
Despite the fact that his impressive rookie and sophomore campaigns were seven and eight years ago already, his recent numbers haven’t been too shabby either. He posted 52 points in 55 games during the 2022-23 season and had a point-per-game pace through 56 games in 2021-22, well on pace to pass 30 goals in both occasions. His scoring may not be front page news anymore, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t still lighting the lamp with regularity.
He’s flexible
Most Flyers fans have circled around Martin Necas this summer, mainly because he may possess an ability to play center. Well, Laine has played all three forward positions during his time in Columbus. If he’s willing to line up down the middle in Philly, not only does he alleviate the overflowing wing positions, but he’d easily be their best center on the team, and if he’s at his peak, could be a much better option than Necas in a similar role.
Not a long-term commitment
While his current contract pays him $8.7 million a season, it only runs until 2026. The idea of giving up assets, and potentially big ones, for two years of a player is enough to give both the front office and the fanbase heart palpitations, but if the worst case scenario strikes and Laine is washed, it’s not like he’s under contract forever, like most of the over-the-hill players already on the roster.
Cons
John Tortorella
Laine and Tortorella had their paths cross for about four and a half months during the 2020-21 campaign, and in that brief time it wasn’t exactly a great match. Laine blasted Torts for various benchings related to both on and off ice incidents. Would the Flyers really refuse to add a player of Laine’s caliber because of their dinosaur head coach? Yes. Yes they would.
Injuries and such
Laine hasn’t played a full campaign since the lockout shortened 2019-20 season and hasn’t suited up for 82 games since 2018-19. He spent part of the 2023-24 season injured before entering the NHL’s player assistance program. He’s suited up for just 123 of a possible 246 games over the last three seasons. The production is still there when healthy, but an $8.7 million investment for half a season of play is quite a risk for the cap-strapped Flyers.
Can the Flyers craft a trade with Columbus?
The Blue Jackets are a really weirdly constructed team. They’ve got a main roster built for a theoretical playoff push, but yet they end up in the basement of the league every season. Are they looking for rebuild assets or main roster help? And what is Patrik Laine’s value even worth these days? It’s not exactly a slow pitch home run of a trade, which means the Flyers probably won’t even consider doing it.
Conclusion
Admittedly, trying to trade for Patrik Laine in 2024 doesn’t have nearly the same pizzazz it had four years ago when he was dealt away from Winnipeg, but he’s a player that still raises an eyebrow when active on the ice.
The Flyers need forward help pretty badly. Their 26th ranked offense and dead last ranked power play would benefit greatly from Laine. He can still score goals with the best of them, and if he is willing to attempt to play center again, it could be a huge positive. Having someone who’s capable of scoring more than 40 points play center on this roster could literally be game-changing.
Now, as with most (every?) big name player that ends up in the rumor mill, there’s always the fallback on whether or not the player will gel with head coach John Tortorella. Considering these two have a not-so-great track record already (look no further than Ryan Johansen for the worst case scenario) it’s not even a fantasy question like Mitch Marner would be. But it always begs the question as to why the team must be stripped of any and all talent in the name of pleasing Tortorella in the first place? “The team can’t have good players because Tortorella won’t like it” is an absolutely asinine thing to willingly accept as a fan, or a front office for that matter.
So do the Flyers throw their hat in the Patrik Laine ring this summer? The answer is probably not, but it’s also a very intriguing name that possesses more than enough value that Briere and co. should at least be checking in on his price tag. His recent off-ice struggles partnered with his gargantuan cap hit will more than likely keep his trade value in check, so it may be possible taking a chance on the guy is feasible and low-risk with a very high upside.
By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
photo credit: nhl.com
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