Despite signing Anthony Duclair to a four-year deal on July 1, the New York Islanders could certainly use another top-six forward to bolster the offense.
Earlier in the summer, prior to the Duclair acquisition, Columbus Blue Jackets forward Patrik Laine was a name that made sense on the trade market, as he had requested a fresh start elsewhere.
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But there were a few issues.
The first was that Laine was in the NHL’s Player Assistance Program, entering on Jan. 28 to focus on his mental health. There was no timetable for when he was to be activated, which meant his team and other teams could not speak with him.
The second was his massive contract, as he’s owed $8.7 million annually in each of the next two seasons.
At the time of his trade request, the Islanders had north of $6 million in available cap space, which meant that a Laine acquisition had to come with Columbus retaining 50 percent ($4.35 M), likely along with an NHL contract going back the other way.
With Laine’s return to hockey a question mark, Columbus didn’t have much leverage.
Things have changed, as of Friday.
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Per The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline, Laine is out of the Player Assistance Program.
We also now know the Blue Jackets’ asking price, as Portzline reported, is draft picks and/or prospects for the 26-year-old, not NHL players.
Unfortunately, that last part hurts the Islanders’ chances of acquiring Laine, if there was ever a chance at all.
While the Islanders have the picks and potentially a few prospects that could spark the Blue Jackets’ interest–other teams certainly have higher-valued prospects–the Islanders are out of salary-cap space.
With Duclair coming in at $3.5 million annually, Mike Reilly returning on a one-year deal at $1.25 million, and Simon Holmstrom back at $850,000, the Islanders have $50,000 in available cap space.
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That doesn’t include Oliver Wahlstrom’s one-year, $1 million deal counting against the NHL cap, which would have the Islanders $950,000 over the NHL’s $88 million cap ceiling.
So, if the Islanders were to acquire Laine, even at 50 percent retained, the Islanders would still be over the cap by $4.3 million.
That means the Islanders would need to send a player like Jean-Gabriel Pageau ($5M AAV through 2025-26) back the other way.
But that’s not what the Blue Jackets want, as trading Laine is just as much about moving on from an unhappy player to having cap space—one of the best assets you could have in hockey.
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The Islanders and Blue Jackets could get a third team to join in and take on a contract, so saying that it’s impossible for Laine to land on Long Island would be a lie.
It’s just not probable.
The Blue Jackets still don’t have a ton of leverage, but it certainly has increased as teams that missed out on “their guy” in free agency may be willing to overpay to bolster their club.
The Islanders were never going to be the top landing spot for Laine, but they likely had an interest, as many teams did/do.
Laine certainly is a risky add for any team.
He hasn’t played a full season since 2019-20, and even then, the season was cut short due to COVID-19.
In the last three seasons, he’s played 18, 55, and 56 games, respectively.
Although often unavailable, when he does play, he produces.
In 2021-22 and 2022-23, he scored 20-plus goals, 26 and 22 respectively, with 30 assists each season.
Over the last three seasons, he has been on a 34-goal pace, but the best ability is availability, so projections mean nothing.
Laine can undoubtedly rip the puck, but the Islanders need a more dynamic player–someone who can produce and play well on both ends of the ice–especially under head coach Patrick Roy.
His skating is also not up to the level the Islanders would need to pair with Barzal and Horvat. He is likely a better fit with Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri, with Duclair up at the top.
In 480 career games in both Winnipeg and Columbus, Laine has 204 goals and 184 assists for 388 points.
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