Montreal Canadiens

Canadiens Deal to Unload Laine at the Trade Deadline Fell Through

The Montreal Canadiens did try to make a big trade ahead of the deadline, but were unable to trade veteran star Patrik Laine.

by
NHL Trade Talk
May 31, 2026

In a recent article for Daily Faceoff, the Montreal Canadiens — who were recently eliminated from the playoffs in the Eastern Conference Final — tried to move one of their stars at the NHL trade deadline. Unfortunately, the deal they were working on fell through. That star was Patrik Laine, who is unlikely to be back with the Canadiens next season.

Anthony DiMarco writes, “According to sources around the trade deadline, the Canadiens did attempt to unload Laine in a deal to acquire a defenseman; the compensation was not enough for the other team to bite on.”

Given that the top need for the Canadiens is a second-line center, it’s intriguing to hear that GM Kent Hughes was working on a deal that would have seen Laine moved out for a blueliner. He adds, “Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen was a name tied to the Canadiens leading up to the deadline; unwilling to meet the price tag, Montreal (and nobody else) pulled the trigger on the player.”

He also notes that New Jersey Devils’ Jonas Siegenthaler and Toronto Maple Leafs’ Brando Carlo were names that might have fit what the Canadiens were trying to add.

Will Anyone Sign Laine This Summer?

Laine was a scratch for all of this season’s playoffs. The Canadiens went on a fantastic run, but they chose not to use the power play specialist, even though one of the big knocks on the Habs during this postseason was that they didn’t put enough shots on goal. Laine is/was a sniper, particularly a power play specialist. They had a 23% success rate, and Laine is a shooter.

It’s unlikely the Canadiens will be able to trade Laine’s rights, meaning he’ll walk away on July 1 and try to sign with another NHL club. Depending on his asking price, there could be teams that lack scoring punch or that might take a short-term swing. Laine played only five games in the 2025-26 season, but he did score 20 goals in 2024-25. Health is certainly an issue for him as he hasn’t played a full season since 2018-19.

Next: St. Louis Knows the Canadiens Have Found Something Dangerous