We're nine days into the National Hockey League's 2026-27 season and there are still a number of prominent unrestricted free agents available on the market, including former Montreal Canadiens forward Patrik Laine.
Laine is currently searching for his next landing spot in the National Hockey League and he isn't alone. Vladimir Tarasenko, James van Riemsdyk, David Perron, Reilly Smith, Adam Boqvist and Petr Mrazek are among the notable names still available early on this season, however for Patrik Laine, it appears that he's drawing some interest from teams around the league.
Former Montreal Canadiens Forward Patrik Laine Receiving Interest From Three Teams
The first report regarding teams interest in Patrik Laine came from Finnish reporter Antti Makinen. Makinen shared on the Kimanttia podcast with former Stanley Cup champion Kimmo Timonen that the Detroit Red Wings and Los Angeles Kings have expressed interest in signing Patrik Laine.
(Note: the following quote was translated from Finnish by DeepL)
"A couple of teams have been the most active this week. Those teams are the Detroit Red Wings and the Los Angeles Kings," Makinen shared.
He later added, "The truth is that Laine hasn't played for a year. That's a cause for concern for many teams. He's certainly done some questionable things in his career, but now the situation has changed. He's no longer in a position where he's considered a star player; he's just like everyone else."
Detroit's interest in Patrik Laine was echoed by TSN's Pierre LeBrun, who also revealed on Tuesday's edition of Insider Trading, that the Calgary Flames have thrown their hat in the ring for the 2016 second overall pick. However for the Flames, LeBrun said that they want to give an opportunity to the younger guys they have in the system before looking to fill a hole externally.
"There have been multiple teams calling at multiple times. But no one has been willing to say, 'Okay we’re going to bite now.' LeBrun shared on Tuesday evening.
Lebrun added, "The Calgary Flames have kicked it around internally, but the Flames want to look at their young guys first for a while. So, whether or not they call back, we’ll see. Detroit has talked about it but so far Laine is skating in Florida, waiting for that phone to ring for good."
The past 12 months haven't been too kind to Patrik Laine, who was hoping for another successful campaign with the Montreal Canadiens in 2025-26 after registering 20 goals in 52 games the year prior.
Laine suited up in only five games for the Canadiens during the 2025-26 season after suffering a core muscle injury, which required surgery and ended his . The 28-year-old winger was given a three-to-four month timeline to return to game action and despite him being back at practice towards the end of the Olympic break, eventually in a full-contact sweater, he never appeared in another game for the Canadiens.
By remaining on injured reserve for the rest of the season, Laine became eligible to sign a low-salary, bonus-laden contract as an unrestricted free agent as of July 1st, which many insiders were thinking would make him a more appealing target to teams. However, even though Laine has been working his tail off in Florida, he's still waiting for a contract offer, whether it comes from Calgary, Detroit, Los Angeles or another team in the NHL.
While his 30, 40-goal days are likely behind him, Patrik Laine still has a ton to offer to a National Hockey League team, if he's able to stay healthy. He proved in his first season with the Montreal Canadiens that not only can he put the puck in the back of the net, but he can also be an elite threat on the power play. 15 of his 20 goals during the 2024-25 campaign came on the power play, which had him fourth in the National Hockey League when the season concluded, behind only Jake Guentzel, Leon Draisaitl and Brayden Point.
His play at five-on-five and his foot speed are the weak spots in his game at this stage of his career, but if a team is desperate for goal scoring, Patrik Laine would certainly be a solid, cheap option as a third liner, as well as on the power play.