Patrik Laine may be staring at a familiar offseason crossroads: keep waiting for a guaranteed deal, or take a professional tryout and try to force his way back into the NHL.
The Tampa Bay Lightning have been floated as a possible landing spot for the 28-year-old, though that’s still speculation. Even so, the fit is easy to see.
Laine is a right-shot forward with 224 goals in 537 career games, and 85 of those goals have come on the power play. For a Lightning team whose special teams have been streaky at best over the last couple of seasons, that kind of shot could matter.
It’s not hard to picture what that would look like. A power play featuring Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, John Carlson, and Laine would instantly plug the hole on the right side that’s been there since Steven Stamkos left. Laine would bring the kind of heavy shooting presence that could change the look of that unit.
But the appeal comes with real concerns.
The biggest one is health. Laine appeared in only five games for Montreal last season, which is why the chart referenced from the 2024-25 season tells the story so plainly.
He has not reached 56 games in a season since 2019-20, and in two of the last three seasons he has played fewer than 20 games. When he’s available, he’s been effective.
Staying available has been the issue.
There’s also the question of what happens at five-on-five. In 2024-25, he spent most of his time on Montreal’s third line with Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook.
That kind of usage would force Tampa Bay to rethink what it wants from its third line, and Laine is not known for making his living in the defensive grind. Forechecking and heavy defensive work have never been his calling card.
That’s where a PTO becomes attractive for both sides. It gives the Lightning a no-risk look.
If Laine doesn’t impress in camp, they can move on without any commitment. If he does, they can keep the financial exposure low by structuring a bonus-heavy contract.
The league allows performance bonuses on entry-level contracts, 35+ contracts, and for players who have appeared in 400 career games and spent more than 100 days on injured reserve the previous season. That creates a path for a one-year arrangement that works for Tampa Bay and for Laine.
For the Lightning, it limits the downside if his body doesn’t cooperate. For Laine, it gives him a chance to rebuild his value and chase a bigger deal next summer.
There are already examples of that type of contract this offseason. Mats Zuccarello signed a one-year deal with the Kings for $1 million, with another $5.5 million available in bonuses.
Tampa Bay has some cap flexibility this season, and the club should be able to handle that structure next year too, even after signing Kucherov to his new contract.
The fit on the ice would still need some sorting out. Jon Cooper’s teams are built around defense, and Laine would not get a free pass there. It’s not John Tortorella-level demands, and Laine did briefly play for him in Columbus, but he can’t simply ignore his responsibilities away from the puck.
His linemates could make a difference. A spot alongside Anthony Cirelli and Brandon Hagel would give him two of the Lightning’s top defensive forwards and help cover some of the ground he doesn’t naturally want to cover. A pairing with Dominic James and Ilya Mikheyev would be looser defensively, but it would at least be an interesting group.
There’s also the possibility of giving him top-line minutes, though he hasn’t played those since 2022-23. That would reduce the burden on him in his own end.
Another route would be for Tampa Bay to use him in a specialized role similar to what it did at times last season, when the team dressed eleven forwards but essentially played ten. Curtis Douglas usually filled that spot with minimal five-on-five ice time, and Laine could be used in a similar way as a power-play weapon who gets enough shifts at even strength to stay in the flow of the game.
Laine is probably still hoping for a guaranteed contract. If that never comes, a PTO may be the only real path back to the NHL this season. And among the teams that could take that swing, the Lightning look like a place where he could try to restore his standing.
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