Who’s ready for another hockey homecoming?
One year ago, all the focus around here was on whether the Winnipeg Jets could land St. Vital product Jonathan Toews as he returned to the sport following a two-year, health-related hiatus. History shows the man known as Captain Serious did indeed sign on the dotted line.
Now, another prominent player with major ties to this city and organization could soon be searching for a new place to lace up his skates once free agency opens on July 1. And it would make plenty of sense — both on and off the ice — to get a deal done.
GRAHAM HUGHES / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES
Forward Patrik Laine hasn’t suited up for the Montreal Canadiens since Oct. 16 when he suffered a core muscle injury that required surgery.
We’re talking about Patrik Laine.
To say his time in Montreal is coming to a messy end would be an understatement. Although the Canadiens are still alive and kicking in the playoffs, Laine is essentially out of sight and out of mind for the bleu, blanc et rouge. He hasn’t played a game since Oct. 16 when he suffered a core muscle injury that required surgery.
The projected recovery timeline was three-to-four months. It has now been eight months and counting.
Laine was gearing up for a return in February when the team announced he had suffered a new lower-body ailment. And that’s basically all they’ve said about him since. His situation remains shrouded in secrecy, but it certainly appears his time with the Habs is over.
The 28-year-old Finn is entering the final year of a contract that pays him US$8.7 million. Obviously, a massive pay cut would be in store should he wish to continue playing in the NHL. Other options could include a return to Europe or even retirement.
Laine was limited to five games this season, recording just one assist, after appearing in only 52 games in the 2024-25 season with Montreal, where he put up 20 goals and 13 assists. Among the many questions surrounding him is whether he can still withstand the rigours of a full NHL schedule, which grows from 82 to 84 games next season.
There are also suggestions from some quarters that he has become a one-trick pony — a power-play specialist with a wicked one-timer who can no longer keep up with today’s younger, faster game or be relied upon at even strength or in the defensive zone.
The small body of work in recent years due to injuries, a personal mental health leave while in Columbus and whatever exactly is happening now in Montreal only adds to the skepticism.
Which brings us to the Jets.
If anyone is going to roll the dice, why not the organization that drafted him second overall in 2016 — the place where he enjoyed the best years of his career and remains wildly popular judging by the number of Laine jerseys still seen around town and at games?
Much like the Toews signing, this would be a massive public-relations win.
There’s no question Laine remains appointment viewing for many local fans, and a team that averaged 14,228 fans per game this season — 997 shy of a sellout — could use every possible boost at the box office, especially after watching them tumble from first overall in the NHL standings to 26th.
Still, the Jets have to be about more than feel-good stories if they truly want to compete for a Stanley Cup. And that’s where lessons learned from the Toews experiment would need to come into play with any potential Laine reunion.
Salary, for example, should be tied strictly to performance, not games played.
The Jets ended up forking over five bonus cheques worth US$550,000 apiece to Toews — a total of US$2.75 million — simply for hitting the 20-, 30-, 40-, 50- and 60-game marks. That came on top of his US$2-million base salary.
More problematic, however, was the belief he could still solve the team’s second-line centre problem. That proved to be a bad bet for the then 37-year-old, who ultimately looked far more comfortable in a bottom-six role while still contributing on the power play and in the faceoff circle.
When it comes to Laine and expectations, the Jets should hope for the best but expect the worst.
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Former Winnipeg Jets forward Patrik Laine (right) posted his career highs with the club.
Any contract should begin with a similarly low base salary, and any bonus structure should be linked to offensive production. If he were able to hit those targets, terrific. That would be good news for both player and a team that was starving for secondary scoring last season.
It would also give Laine an opportunity to rehabilitate his career in a familiar environment while giving Winnipeg a chance to uncover value in a market where elite free agents rarely choose to land.
At this point, the obvious question is why Laine would want to return to the organization that shipped him out in January 2021, along with Jack Roslovic, to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Pierre-Luc Dubois.
Obviously, much has changed in the nearly five-and-a-half years since then. Former captain Blake Wheeler — who famously clashed with Laine at times — is long gone and now retired. Head coach Paul Maurice is busy savouring the two Stanley Cups he has since won in Sunrise, Fla.
And Laine would not be expected to carry the team on his back this time around. The Jets are loaded with stars, including Connor Hellebuyck, Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor, Josh Morrissey and Gabe Vilardi — who was part of the Laine trade tree as one of the returns acquired from Los Angeles in the Dubois deal.
Laine wouldn’t have to be the guy. He could just be a guy. And he could do it in a city he famously wrote a love letter to in a 2018 The Players’ Tribune article.
“Other than destroying Nik Ehlers in Call of Duty, I think the best thing to happen to me last year was falling in love with Winnipeg,” the piece began.
“I mean, I heard some guys talking bad about the city and that Winnipeg was not a good place. What do they know? I love Winnipeg. This is my home. These are my people now. I play for them. It’s a great, great city. Everyone who lives here really cares about one another, that’s what stands out to me. We are one group, all of us. Everybody is your neighbor. Winnipeg is bad? No. Winnipeg is good. And my Wi-Fi — it’s sick.”
Laine has never been able to fully recapture the magic he had in Winnipeg, which began with a 36-goal rookie campaign and continued with seasons of 44, 30 and 28 goals apiece, the latter coming in just 68 games.
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Heck, even his final game with the Jets was memorable: two goals and an assist in a season-opening win over Calgary. He was traded the next day.
Laine’s best season after that came in 2021-22 with Columbus, when he scored 26 goals and recorded 56 points in just 56 games. Since then, he has been chasing the version of himself Winnipeg once saw almost every night — and has yet to fully find it again.
The upside is obvious. So is the risk.
Which is exactly why this feels like the kind of gamble the Jets — and Laine himself — should seriously consider.
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Mike McIntyre is a sports reporter whose primary role is covering the Winnipeg Jets. After graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College in 1995, he spent two years gaining experience at the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 1997, where he served on the crime and justice beat until 2016. Read more about Mike.
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