The speculation surrounding a Patrik Laine trade seems to be gaining more and more traction of late. As should be expected this time of year, with the NHL Draft right around the corner, free agency just over one week away and teams scrambling to find cap space, it’s easy to get suckered into believing a report once it’s sent your way.
One example came late Monday afternoon when someone sent us news that Patrik Laine had been traded to the Philadelphia Flyers. We were shocked because we hadn’t seen any of the big guys report it, at the same time, not shocked because Laine has been caught in the rumor mill of late. After some digging, we found the below tweet:
There’s a part of us that didn’t even want to share this tweet because that means drawing attention to it. At the same time, we felt it important to draw our reader’s attention to reports that could catch them off guard over the next few days.
What To Look For With Fake News
First, always look for the little blue checkmark beside any team name or major news reporter from a network like TSN, Sportsnet, or NBC. If you don’t see a blue checkmark, it’s not a verified account.
Second, look at the amount of followers an account has. In this case, this account had 117.
Third, check to see if the story even makes sense. What is the return? What were the pieces moved? Again, in this case, why would the Jets want Nolan Patrick and Shayne Gostisbehere in that deal? Patrick could be a good young player but he’s dealing with major health issues and Gosistbehere has a nearly unmovable contract.
Pretend This Deal is Real: Would You Do It?
Clearly fake news in this case, but Jets fans might wonder if this deal is close to the expected return from a potential deal involving Laine. Would this fake news story be near an expected price the Jets would consider for Laine? Most importantly, would other NHL teams be willing to pay it?
The ‘Ghost’
In the case of Shayne Gostisbehere, the Flyers might be happy to move a contract that they may have reached a bit too far on. In June of 2017, the Flyers extended Gostisbehere’s with a six-year, $27 million contract – AAV of $4.5 cap hit per year. At that time, the contract looked reasonable. Gostisbehere had his best season after signing the big contract. In 2017/18, the Florida native had a break out offensive season with 13 goals and 52 assists (65) in 78 games.
Since that 2018 season however, Gostisbehere has reverted to much more reasonable numbers the past two seasons. In 2019, Gostisbehere’s offensive totals fell to 37 points in 78 games and this season was also pretty not great – 5 goals and 7 assists in 42 games before the season was cut short by Covid.
The Other Patrick
Some GMs would love to add Nolan Patrick and others might see a different story. Patrick is a player that the Flyers may not want to give up on so fast but there are no guarantees. For the past year, Patrick has been suffering from a migraine disorder, and while recent news suggests the current outlook sounds promising (the young star may be able to return for a 2020 NHL regular season), Patrick has been historically injury-prone.
When healthy, Patrick has a big upside and the potential to become a 200′ force for the Flyers. Patrick made the jump out of junior (Brandon Wheat Kings) after the 2017 NHL Draft. In his first two NHL seasons, Patrick managed to accumulate 26 goals and 35 assists in (61) in his first 145 games.
Don’t Get Suckered by Fake Trade Discussion
At the end of the day, don’t get suckered. We report on trade talk and that’s half the fun of this site. But, if we believe the trade rumor is just plain bogus, you won’t see us drawing attention to it.
By the way… this is not to say that suggesting trades or speculating about deals isn’t permitted. We love to do that too. Just beware of accounts saying a trade is done when it isn’t.
NEXT: Dustin Byfuglien Likely Done in NHL, Why Is He Walking Away?
