Trade market heats up for Patrik Laine with contenders eyeing power play boost before deadline
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Daniel Lucente
Mar 1, 2026 (1:43 PM)
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Photo credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
Pagnotta on Daily Faceoff thinks Patrik Laine gets dealt by the NHL trade deadline, and that kind of top-six winger availability changes boards fast.
Laine's name isn't new in rumors, but the tone matters. This isn't "teams are calling," it's "both sides expect it."
It also lands at the right time on the calendar. The 2026 NHL trade deadline is Friday, March 6.
His contract is the whole puzzle. Laine carries an $8.7 million cap hit and can hit UFA status after this season.
He has barely played in 2025-26, posting 0-1-1 in five games while sitting on IR. That uncertainty is why the price swings so wide.
Re Patrik Laine: "I talked to people on both sides, they expect to trade him, and I think Laine expects to be moved by the deadline."
- David Pagnotta
- David Pagnotta
For a buyer, this is less "rental scorer" and more "high-upside bet." You are paying for the shot, the man advantage threat, and the chance he hits a groove in April.
The cleanest path is salary retention. At full freight, only a handful of contenders can even fit the math.
Patrik Laine can tilt a contender's power play
Fans always split on these moves, because nobody wants to gamble real assets on a player who has not been on the ice much.
Still, deadline hockey rewards teams that add one problem for opponents. Laine's release forces penalty kills to cheat, and that opens seams for everyone else.
The fit is clearest for clubs with a good five-on-five base and a stale power play. Give him sheltered matchups, feed him touches, and live with the risk.
The fit is worst for teams that need him to drive a line every night. If you are buying Laine, you want him finishing, not carrying.
If Pagnotta's read is right, the next week becomes a waiting game. One team blinks on retention, and the market moves with it.
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| POLL | ||
MARS 1|194 ANSWERS Trade market heats up for Patrik Laine with contenders eyeing power play boost before deadline Should a contender trade for Patrik Laine at the NHL trade deadline? | ||
| Yes | 93 | 47.9 % |
| No | 101 | 52.1 % |
| List of polls | ||