Elliotte Friedman confirms Patrik Laine deal failed because contenders refused the cap gamble
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Daniel Lucente
Mar 20, 2026 (11:55)
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Photo credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images
Elliotte Friedman says Patrik Laine, 27, nearly reached Toronto or Philadelphia, and that leak drags an $8.7 million deadline swing back into view.
Laine is a pending 2026 UFA with an $8.7 million cap hit and a 10-team no-trade list, which turns every rumor into a cap puzzle before it becomes a hockey move.
He was drafted second overall in 2016 by the Winnipeg Jets, then Montreal grabbed him from Columbus on August 19, 2024, with a 2026 second-round pick attached.
That is why Friedman's leak matters now. This was never just about a big shot. It was about whether a contender could afford the risk and still ice a balanced top nine.
Toronto is the cleanest fit on paper. Put Laine beside Auston Matthews or William Nylander and the man advantage gets another one-touch finisher on the weak side.
The problem is the squeeze. A winger at that number forces hard choices elsewhere, and the Leafs already carry their core up front while protecting a veteran blue line.
You can almost feel why this rumor had legs, because it sounds like a front office talking itself right to the edge.
"There were discussions about Patrik Laine ending up either in Philadelphia or Toronto, but it obviously didn't work out."
- Elliotte Friedman
- Elliotte Friedman
Patrik Laine and the Toronto Maple Leafs fit
Fans would have loved the release. Managers had to love the math too, and that is where this blockbuster died.
Philadelphia makes sense for a different reason. The Flyers have skill on the wings already, with Travis Konecny, Matvei Michkov and Owen Tippett, plus Trevor Zegras in the mix.
Adding Laine there would have raised the ceiling, but it also would have grabbed touches from younger pieces the club still needs to sort out.
The current-season layer seals it. Laine has played only five NHL games in 2025-26 and has one point, which kills certainty for buyers chasing April answers.
That is the real takeaway from Friedman's leak. Toronto and Philadelphia both liked the weapon, then backed off the bill, the health, and the ripple effect on the next move.
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| POLL | ||
MARS 20|181 ANSWERS Elliotte Friedman confirms Patrik Laine deal failed because contenders refused the cap gamble Did Toronto and Philadelphia make the right call on Patrik Laine? | ||
| Yes | 153 | 84.5 % |
| No | 28 | 15.5 % |
| List of polls | ||