Could the Penguins Take a Flyer on Patrik Laine for a Playoff Push?

Patrik Laine is starting to get healthy and nearing a return to action. As a result, chatter around the Montreal Canadiens potentially trading the former second overall pick (2016) has started to pick up, particularly after his spouse recently hinted at a move before the deadline.

It’s been a far-from-ideal last few years for Laine, who has struggled to stay healthy and largely been a power-play producer when in the lineup. Because of that — and Montreal’s abundance of wingers they like and trust — the Finnish sniper has become expendable, providing teams around the league with a chance to take a flyer on low-risk, high-reward talent.

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There is never a shortage of teams around the NHL looking to add more goal scoring to their lineup. The problem is whether they have the cap space to handle Laine’s $8.7 million contract. Not many do, but one with more than enough room that could make some sense as a landing spot is the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Kyle Dubas’ team, full of veteran stars, is surprisingly in playoff position, and the thought of adding a rental — with no commitment beyond this season — to increase the team’s upside for minimal return makes the move worth considering.

Potential Patrik Laine to the Penguins Trade

It’s been reported that GM Kent Hughes would love to get something of value back for Laine before the deadline, though they likely understand that return won’t be anything special. With that in mind, the Penguins could offer a 2027 fourth-round pick, or possibly even a fifth-rounder, in an attempt to see whether that would be enough to land Laine.

For Montreal, it’s all about freeing up cap space — his full $8.7 million to be exact — which could allow them to pursue a bigger fish ahead of the deadline, specifically a second-line center like Robert Thomas, Nazem Kadri, Vincent Trocheck, or whoever else they have in their sights.

On the flip side, Pittsburgh takes a chance on one of the most talented goal scorers in the world in their push to make the playoffs for the first time since 2021–22. Laine could post up in his office on the top power-play unit alongside Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Erik Karlsson — not too shabby. He could slot in anywhere in the top nine, providing the Pens more depth in case of injuries, while also potentially allowing rookie Ben Kindel to take a game off here and there if needed, as the 18-year-old tries to manage the grind of a full 82-game regular season.

The Penguins never expected to be where they are as of January 23 — or at least the rest of the hockey world didn’t. Dubas isn’t going to stray from the long-term plan, which is exactly why a low-cost, low-risk, high-reward rental makes perfect sense. Pittsburgh is projected to be a soft buyer ahead of the deadline, but could very well do some selling in the process. A move like this has the potential to help both in the short and long term, without doing any damage to the ultimate vision.

If it doesn’t work out? No problem — Laine walks in free agency. If he fits in well and looks rejuvenated, closer to the player he’s capable of being, then you’ve successfully bought low on a legitimate talent who can continue to be an impactful part of the group moving forward.

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