The Jets have a chance to make a move that would mean something in two very different ways: bringing Patrik Laine back to Winnipeg.
It’s the kind of idea that instantly hits the fanbase. Laine was once one of the most electric young scorers in the league, and he remains a player people in Winnipeg still recognize by the No. 29 jerseys in the stands at Canada Life Centre.
For True North Sports & Entertainment, a reunion would bring a clear public-relations boost and plenty of goodwill from a fanbase that has been left disappointed by a playoff-less 2025-26. It would also practically write its own social media campaign.
But the question that matters most is whether it would actually help the Jets on the ice.
Laine is coming off the worst season of his professional career. He played only five games to start the year with the Montreal Canadiens, managed one assist, and then a core-muscle injury that required surgery kept him out for four months. Even after he recovered, he never made it back into the lineup and watched Montreal’s run to the Eastern Conference Final from the press box.
That’s a long way from the player who arrived in Winnipeg and looked unstoppable.
The 2016 second-overall pick exploded into the NHL as an 18-year-old, scoring 36 goals in his rookie season, 44 in his second year and 30 in his third. His wrist shot and one-timer were lethal on the power play, and he built a reel full of unforgettable moments, including the five-goal game in 2018 that won a local pastor $1 million.
He also won over Winnipeg with his shaggy beard, his article praising the city, his blunt interview style and the easygoing personality that came with it. At one point, there was real debate about whether he or Auston Matthews was the better player.
Then the slide began.
By 2020, the trade rumors were swirling, and after one game in 2020-21, the Jets dealt him to the Columbus Blue Jackets. He had some productive stretches there, but injuries piled up, his mental health became part of the story, and he never got back to the level he reached in Winnipeg.
Over the last three seasons, he has been largely a non-factor, posting 43 points in 75 games and spending time in the NHLPA Players Assistance Program. The move to Montreal in 2024 did not revive him, and the Canadiens let him reach unrestricted free agency.
That’s why any Winnipeg reunion would have to be handled carefully.
Laine still has value as a scorer, especially on the power play, but he is not much help at even strength and has not shown much interest in playing a true 200-foot game lately. Any deal the Jets would offer would need to protect them: short term, low salary, maybe around $2 million, with performance incentives attached. It would need to be nothing like last summer’s Jonathan Toews contract, which was loaded with bonuses tied to games-played milestones.
The appeal for Winnipeg is obvious. The Jets struggled to find cheap secondary scoring last season, and Laine could fill that role if he’s healthy and engaged. He did exactly that in his first Winnipeg stint, scoring 110 goals and totaling 184 points from 2016-19 while carrying just a $2.775 million cap hit on his entry-level deal.
There’s also the possibility that Winnipeg could be good for him again.
There have long been reports and rumors that Laine wanted out because he felt bullied during his time with the Jets, with Blake Wheeler’s ultra-serious presence cited in those discussions. The culture around the team was broken then, and Wheeler was later stripped of the captaincy by Rick Bowness the season after Laine was traded.
That is not the same room anymore. Under Adam Lowry, the environment is described as strong and inclusive, which could give Laine a place to reset both as a player and as a person.
Laine himself once pushed back hard against the way people talked about Winnipeg.
“I mean, I heard some guys talking bad about the city and that Winnipeg was not a good place. What do they know?
I love Winnipeg. This is my home.
These are my people now. I play for them.
It’s a great, great city. Everyone who lives here really cares about one another, that’s what stands out to me.
We are one group, all of us. Everybody is your neighbor.”
The Jets still have more than $5 million in cap space, and a Laine signing would be an intriguing final move after adding defenceman Mario Ferraro and goaltender Stuart Skinner on July 1. Whether it makes sense is another matter.
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