Patrik Laine: The Maple Leafs and the Flyers have been in talks with the Canadiens

Patrik Laine knows his name is still on everyone's lips in Montreal.
Today, Martin St-Louis confirmed that, despite injuries to Kirby Dach and Josh Anderson, the Finn was not an option for tonight's game.
He's going to be stuck on the injured list for a while, unfortunately for him.

This text is not intended to provide a diagnosis of Patrik Laine's medical condition.
But it explains why it is beneficial for the #CH that the Finn is on the injured list. https://t.co/7mEv5Nq7Nu
— Nicolas Cloutier (@NCloutierTVA) March 19, 2026

As you know, the Canadiens tried to trade him at the deadline. Everything suggests that the Habs' GM didn't have to pay to get him out of Montreal and that he therefore kept him.
If he had pulled off his #MysteryTrade, would things have been different?
But anyway. All this to say that the good folks at Elliotte Friedman, in their latest article, reported that the Maple Leafs and the Flyers had approached the Canadiens about Laine at the trade deadline.
Obviously, nothing concrete came of it. We assume the teams couldn't reach an agreement, but it's worth noting that Laine—who has also been linked to the Kings—has a 10-team partial no-trade clause.

Written 32:https://t.co/6d3EHQBRUA
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) March 19, 2026
The Maple Leafs won't make the playoffs, and I recommend you don't bet your house on the Flyers making it. They aren't powerhouses.
Why target a player on loan?

One might think the clubs wanted to acquire an asset from the Canadiens by taking on half of the Finnish player's contract ($8.7 million against the cap) until July 1.
But that didn't happen, at the risk of repeating myself.

In a nutshell– Ouch.

The Blue Jays knew what they were doing when they signed Max Scherzer. https://t.co/9c2OLRWrX0
— Passion MLB (@passion_mlb) March 19, 2026

— Must-read.

Elite development: part of the solution that Hockey Québec refuses to acknowledge. | JDM

Yet, in Western Canada, it works. Gavin McKenna, Connor Bedard, and many others have gone through it.https://t.co/vx5SnIMyYg
— Jonathan Bernier (@JBernierJDM) March 19, 2026

— Note.

Bruce Garrioch: Re Mads Sogaard: The Senators were unsuccessful in their attempt to trade him at [the] NHL trade deadline, so he'll finish the year in Belleville – Ottawa Citizen (3/13)
— NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) March 19, 2026