Could the Maple Leafs Take a Chance on Former 44-Goal Scorer?

It’s widely expected that the Toronto Maple Leafs are going to make plenty of changes to the roster this summer, but to do that, creativity is going to be required.

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New GM John Chayka is not stepping into the easiest situation, so he’s going to have to take some risks, particularly if he’s looking to bring the Maple Leafs back into contention for 2026-27.

There are several options Toronto could look at on the free-agent market that fit the mold, and Jesse Blake of SDPN Sports believes Patrik Laine is one of them that wouldn’t be a bad idea to target.

Blake said:

“I think he’s a Leaf, yeah, why not. I think it’s a good opportunity to go get some cheap goal scoring. If I’m Chayka, I’d do it. For a purely bonus-heavy deal, it’s only upside. I would go get Laine, a scoring winger. Maybe he doesn’t want to stomach the market, but he could also be just a low-key guy. The way Nylander handles Toronto is the perfect fit for him, where he just doesn’t care about the media. But if he doesn’t want to, then there’s nothing there. If I were Chayka and there’s an opportunity to get him, I would do it,”

The 28-year-old Laine is set to become a UFA after finishing out the four-year, $34.8 million extension he originally signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2022. He tallied one point (one assist) in just five games played during the 2025-26 season.

It would be something to see the 2016 first and second overall picks, Auston Matthews and Laine, team up in Toronto all these years later.

The latter’s career has hit a rough patch after a very promising start, but his pure talent and goal-scoring ability are still in there, so it could very well be worth taking a flier on him for a team like the Maple Leafs to see if they can unlock it.

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