A THN columnist suggests the Avalanche stay away from Patrik Laine

Raphael Simard
A THN columnist suggests the Avalanche stay away from Patrik Laine
Credit: Capture d'écran/Twitter

It's now August, and let's just say the pool of free agents is starting to get very thin.

There aren't really any impact players left.

Teams can still find solid depth players, though. The Avalanche, for their part, are on the hunt for talent, and Patrik Laine might be of interest to them. However, Ryan O'Hara (THN), a columnist covering the Colorado, Utah, and Calgary teams, suggests the club steer clear of the Finnish player.

He cites Laine's lack of availability as the main reason, since he hasn't played a full (or nearly full) season since 2019. And in 2025–2026, he played only five games.

It's true that Laine won't cost much (some teams even want to offer him a tryout), but it's still a risky bet.

The Avalanche is one of the teams with the least room under the salary cap, with only $404,159. Next year, a certain Cale Makar will need to be re-signed…

However, given the seasons he's just had, Laine is unlikely to sign for more than one year.

The former Canadiens player was the second overall pick in the 2016 draft. Although he's an exceptional sniper, he doesn't seem to be in any NHL team's plans. I don't think his career in North America is over, but he'll have no choice but to accept a minimum-salary contract (or a tryout) and prove he still has gas left in the tank…


In a Nutshell

– Will they sign within the next week?

– Stay tuned.

– That's good news.

facebook icon Share twitter icon Tweet linkedin icon Share
Copied!