NHL Rumors: There Will be Interest in Patrik Laine

Would a Patrik Laine for Reilly Smith trade work?

Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Pittsburgh Penguins GM Kyle Dubas may not be wanting to give up future assets in a trade for a short-term fixes. They have two second-round picks. Now, he might consider it for a younger player like Arthur Kaliyev or Nicholas Robertson.

Defenseman Marcus Pettersson has a year left on his contract and does have some trade value. Reilly Smith, Tristan Jarry, Rickard Rakell and Ryan Graves lost trade value this year. Smith seems the likeliest to move to create some cap space.

Columbus Blue Jackets Patrik Laine would make some sense. What about a Smith for Laine deal?

Teams that could/should have an interest in Patrik Laine

Shayna Goldman of The Athletic: The Columbus Blue Jackets are looking to give Patrik Laine a fresh start somewhere else. There will be some interest but his two years at $8.7 million per will make it difficult. He’s also been in the player assistance program since the end of January.

Teams that could or should be interested in Laine include:

Carolina Hurricanes – They could lose Jake Guentzel to free agency, and they may end up trading Martin Necas.

Utah Hockey Club – They have the cap space to add Laine and are looking to improve.

Montreal Canadiens – The Canadiens need more shooters/scorers. They’re not against reclamation projects. Would they need salary retained or send a contract like Christian Dvorak?

Nashville Predators – The Preds need shooters and more scoring threats. They have the cap space and have a trade asset in defenseman Dante Fabbro.

New Jersey Devils – Could use a top-six right-handed forward.

St. Louis Blues – Laine could look good beside passer Robert Thomas.

New York Rangers – Need help on the right side but Martin Necas or Tyler Toffoli may be better targets.

Chicago Blackhawks – Could use scoring help and take some of the pressure off of Connor Bedard. It may not be the right environment for Laine. They wouldn’t need salary retained.