The Dallas Stars are reportedly among the teams showing interest in free agent winger Patrik Laine.
Bruce Garrioch reported this week that the Stars, Maple Leafs, Panthers and Lightning all have interest in Laine, per the Ottawa Citizen.
Unlike Toronto, Dallas isn't chasing a top-six answer. This is a completely different kind of fit.
Jason Robertson put up 96 points last season, Wyatt Johnston added 86, and Mikko Rantanen chipped in 77 in just 64 games.
That top line doesn't need help. Dallas is looking further down the lineup, and that's where things get interesting.
Tyler Seguin played only 27 games last season, finishing with 17 points, a steep drop for a player still carrying a $9.85 million cap hit.
Matt Duchene and Jamie Benn are both past their peak offensive years too, combining for 81 points but neither playing a full 82-game slate.
Why Dallas has actual bottom-six room for Laine
Sam Steel and Justin Hryckowian round out the middle six, useful depth pieces but not the kind of scorers who change a game by themselves.
That's the gap a low-risk, incentive-based Laine deal could actually address for a team built to win now.
Dallas finished 50-20-12 last season, third overall in the league, riding a five-game winning streak into the finish.
Head coach Glen Gulutzan already has a roster built to contend. What he doesn't have is certainty about his bottom-six scoring.
Roope Hintz missed real time too, appearing in only 53 games, adding more uncertainty to a forward group that looks deep on paper.
A performance-based contract for Laine costs almost nothing against Dallas's cap if it doesn't work out.
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If it does, the Stars get another scoring option behind a top line that's already among the best in the league.
Compare Seguin's 27 games played to Laine's own recent absences, and it's clear why teams see this as low-risk depth rather than a big swing.
Nothing is signed here. This remains reported interest, not a contract, and Laine's own recent numbers stay outside anything confirmed here.
But for a Cup contender with real questions in the middle of its lineup, the logic behind Dallas's interest isn't hard to follow.
Should a Stanley Cup contender like the Stars take a low-risk swing on Patrik Laine?
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