Patrik Laine was once one of the NHL’s most feared young goal scorers. Now, as the 2026–27 regular season is getting underway, Laine is still without a contract. The 28-year-old Finnish forward just finished a four-year deal worth $8.7M AAV, $34.8M total. As of early October, Laine’s phone reportedly hasn’t exactly been ringing off the hook.
Not to say teams aren’t interested; however, the ones that are seem to be unwilling to guarantee Laine a consistent role or a long-term contract. They even go so far as to say a Professional Tryout (PTO) is a possibility.
That’s a shocking drop-off for a guy who was a 40-goal scorer earlier in his career. In 2017–18, Laine scored 44 goals as a 19-year-old, which was good enough for second in the entire league behind only Alex Ovechkin. The issue teams have isn’t his talent or his ability to put the puck in the net; it’s whether he can stay healthy enough to stay in the lineup consistently.
The Edmonton Oilers have emerged as a potential landing spot for Laine, and it’s an obvious fit. Laine would get opportunities alongside elite playmakers and could regain his value on a contending team.
Why it would work
Laine’s appeal begins with a shooting ability few available players can match. Laine has produced 224 goals and 422 points through 537 regular season games, including a career-high 44 goals and 70 points with the Winnipeg Jets in 2017–18. He’s also a seven-time 20-goal scorer. Because of the lack of interest in Laine, the Oilers could potentially get him on a cheaper contract, improving their risk/reward ratio.
His most recent meaningful sample came during the 2024–25 season with Montreal. Laine scored 20 goals and 33 points in 52 games, with 15 of those goals coming on the power play. He followed that with only one assist in five appearances during an injury-shortened 2025–26 season. Laine did not play after October 16 because of a core-muscle injury that required surgery. He has appeared in only 75 games over the past three seasons.
Dave Jenkins reported it first, saying, “The attraction for Edmonton is easy to understand: Laine doesn’t have to carry the puck through the neutral zone every shift to create offence. His release would give Edmonton another legitimate scoring option beyond their established stars.”
Imagine having to watch out for three dangerous one-timer options on the same power play. Laine on the left, Leon Draisaitl on the right, and Evan Bouchard at the point ready to let a “Bouch Bomb” go at any time. On top of that, you’d have Connor McDavid ready to turn a defenceman into a human highlight reel if the passing lanes are covered.
Breaking down the cap space math
The Oilers have $761K in cap space, according to PuckPedia, but Matthew Savoie and Alec Regula were put on Long-Term Injured Reserve (LTIR) on October 1. Putting a player on LTIR isn’t as much of a loophole as it once was. LTIR does not remove a player’s cap hit from a team’s overall cap hit. This is a common misconception. LTIR allows a team to potentially exceed the salary cap ceiling by an amount up to the player’s cap hit, depending on a number of factors.
Savoie is making $886K this season, and Regula is making the veteran minimum of $850K. Under the LTIR rules, this means the Oilers could potentially exceed the cap by about $1.7M, which is darn close to what they’d need to sign Laine. It’s unlikely the Oilers will sign Laine to a league-minimum contract similar to Alex Formenton. However, Laine brings fewer headlines outside of hockey and has established himself as a guy who, when healthy, can produce in the NHL. These are all rumours and speculation, but I could see someone signing Laine to a one-year $1M contract.
I think if the opportunity comes, the Oilers could help Laine rejuvenate his career. Maybe being doubted by all these franchises will turn back the clock for Laine, and he’ll begin scoring like the generational goal scorer we thought he was when he was drafted. Playing with McDavid could be the jumpstart he needs to rediscover who he is as a player.
Should the Oilers take the risk?
The downside is that Laine has been very inconsistent recently and hasn’t played an NHL game since October of 2025. On top of that, he was addicted to video games during his time in Winnipeg and Columbus. The story was that on road trips, he would go to Walmart and buy a TV because the hotel ones were too small to play Fortnite on. At the end of the trip, he’d leave the TV for the hotel staff, and he’d do the same thing in the next city.
Laine has reportedly drawn interest from four NHL teams: Toronto, Tampa Bay, Minnesota, and Florida. All four reportedly want him only for PTO, not the entire season. I don’t understand why Edmonton isn’t on the list. The home opener was probably the most Edmonton Oilers game ever. Goaltending is shaky; they were awful defensively, erased a multi-goal deficit in the third because of their star players, and still lost in Overtime.
In a previous article, we talked about how much Mike Babcock has relied on depth in the past and how that has contributed to his success. Adding Patrik Laine as another weapon to the Oilers ‘ high-flying offence could be just what the doctor ordered. It’s worth the risk if the Oilers want to go all in for a championship.
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