Patrik Laine's name is back in trade circles, and the New York Islanders keep getting mentioned as a fit.
It makes sense on paper. New York has been searching for a pure shooter to change games on the power play.
Laine has that reputation. A dangerous release, a track record of bending games with a single shot, and a career full of unrealized ceiling.
His run with the Montreal Canadiens hasn't gone the way either side hoped. Injuries and inconsistency have made him a complicated fit down the middle.
That's exactly the kind of situation that gets rival executives picking up the phone this time of year.
For Long Island, the appeal isn't complicated. They need offense, and a motivated shooter chasing a fresh start is a cheap way to get it.
Why this rumor actually has legs
New York finished 43-34-5 this season for 91 points, good for 19th overall and sixth in their division.
That's not a roster built to contend right now, and general manager Mathieu Darche has been hunting for pieces that change the equation up front.
Head coach Peter DeBoer has built his team around structure and defensive detail. What DeBoer hasn't had is a shooter who can finish off a shift by himself.
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Montreal, meanwhile, closed the year 48-24-10, sixth overall in the league with 106 points. Their power play could still use another trigger man of its own.
Here's the tension in one sentence. One team may want to simplify its roster, the other wants more firepower without giving up much to get it.
If Laine walks, Kent Hughes has to explain why whatever comes back is worth more than what Montreal gave up to get him in the first place.
A motivated scorer looking for a reset and a team hunting for offense tends to find its way to a phone call eventually.
Would you trade for Patrik Laine if you ran the Islanders?
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