Patrick Laine fits the kind of swing the Oilers could justify.
That’s the upside case in a nutshell: a scorer with a proven track record, a body of work that still screams goal-scorer, and a contract setup that could make sense for a team willing to bet on the talent over the risk. At 28, Laine is unsigned, but his name still carries the kind of offensive punch that once made him look like one of the safest bets from the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.
Back then, the Winnipeg Jets took him second overall, and for a while it looked like they nailed it. Over the life of his rookie contract, Laine put up 36 goals, then 44, then 30. That’s the profile of the elite finisher Winnipeg was hoping to land when it made the pick.
The problem is everything that followed.
Laine’s third season, 2018-19, was the last time he got through a full 82-game schedule. His fourth season is now his second-highest games-played total at 68, and since then he has missed 30% or more of the regular season every year.
His most recent NHL action came with the Montreal Canadiens, where he played just five games and didn’t offer much offense. For a player carrying an $8.7 million cap hit, that kind of availability is hard to live with.
And yet, there’s still a case for Edmonton.
Because of the injury history and Laine’s veteran status - more than 400 NHL games - a team can structure a bonus-laden deal around him. That seems tailor-made for a player whose value is tied to what he can do when healthy. Reports say his long recovery from abdominal surgery has gone well, and if you leave out that five-game stint in Montreal, Laine has generally produced when he’s actually been on the ice.
For the Oilers, the fit wouldn’t require him to carry a top-line load. He could work on a second power-play unit, slide into middle-six minutes, and have his usage managed over the course of the year. There’s even room to rest him along the way so he’d be fresher for the playoff push.
It’s the classic high-risk, high-reward play. If it works, Edmonton can worry about the bonus overages in 2027-28. And if it does work, that season will already have done its job - because in this business, nobody complains too loudly about cap pain when there are banners hanging in Rogers Place.
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Pittsburgh adds another layer to the picture, since Sidney Crosby and the Penguins are expected to get an extension done soon and the talks are centered on term rather than retirement. That matters for Edmonton because the Penguins direction will help define which names actually reach the market, and as the Oilers keep looking for offensive support, a few familiar teams could become much more relevant if they decide to sell. [Read more 🡒]