Canadiens’ Patrik Laine $8.7 million trade obstacle is less intimidating than it appears originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Patrik Laine has missed most of the season with an injury. That would be the first obstacle to trading him before the NHL’s March 6 trade deadline.
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The Montreal Canadiens got good news on that front, though.
“He hasn’t played a game since October after having surgery on a core muscle, but Laine returned to practice with Montreal over the Olympic break, and the potential for a trade involving the scoring winger is growing,” wrote Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos in a new trade article on Tuesday.
The other thing that looms large about Laine is his $8.7 million cap hit. That’s not as intimidating as it appears, though.
“His $8.7 million cap hit might be high at first glance, but Laine is in the final year of that deal, so it’s a low-risk pickup for a team,” Kypreos writes. “Montreal also hasn’t used any of its salary retention slots, so it would entertain the idea of lowering Laine’s cap hit for a trade partner.”
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That number might still eliminate some teams from trade talks, but there are some contenders who could make it work with Montreal.
The biggest concern might really be Laine’s health. It’d probably increase confidence for an acquiring team if Laine got back on the ice in the next week with the Canadiens just to confirm everything looks OK.
If he’s healthy, he’s worth looking into.
“If you’re a team that needs to find some scoring and wants to take a chance on Laine for a couple of months, he’s certainly attainable for little cost,” Kypreos writes.
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