Patrik Laine remains available as an unrestricted free agent (UFA) after his four-year, $34.8 million deal expired. Though up for grabs, it seems every organization in the NHL is wary of signing the Finnish winger. Many teams have been linked t Laine, including the Florida Panthers, but nothing has officially transpired.
The Cats, however, make a lot of sense as an NHL landing spot for Laine—even if it’s only on a professional tryout contract (PTO). It’s been reported that Laine and his camp have no wish to sign such an uncertain deal.
However, seeing how tough the market is out there and with no better offer guaranteed to come forward, it may be only a matter of time before Laine accepts such terms. That the Panthers will offer him such a deal, however, is far from certain, and a report states that nothing has actually happened between the two sides.
“There has been some speculation that Florida could make such an offer to Patrik Laine. That, as of right now, is simply just speculative,” George Richards reported on Florida Hockey Now.
Patrik Laine at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Panthers could use someone like Laine
With Brad Marchand expected to miss time—how much exactly remains unknown—during the 2026-27 NHL season, the Panthers are staring at a glaring hole on their third line. Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen are two of the most underrated two-way forwards in the league, but could really use some scoring help. Provided he finds his footing, who better than Laine?
That’s not to say Florida expects the former Montreal Canadiens forward to score 44 goals like he did in his sophomore season (2017-18), but rather somewhere in between that career year and his recent 20-goal season in 2024-25 with the Habs. In addition to the obvious need in the top nine for Florida, there is another link between Laine and the Panthers.
Maurice could reunite with Laine in South Florida
Head coach Paul Maurice was in charge in Winnipeg when the Jets drafted Laine second overall in the 2016 NHL Draft. With Maurice, Laine had the best seasons of his career. Under Maurice’s orders, Laine appeared in 306 games, scoring 140 goals and assisting on another 110 for a total of 250 points.
Laine would be in for a steep climb in Florida, but that would apply to any new destination. In Sunrise, he could reunite with the head coach who got the best out of him while joining forces with fellow Finns Aleksander Barkov, Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen, and Niko Mikkola. Not just that, but he could complete an all-Suomi line with Lundell and Luostarinen.
The ball is in Florida’s court now. It remains to be seen if they move beyond the rumor phase and go through with a deal, or if it all stays a case of what could’ve been—yet another in the long list in NHL history.
