Patrik Laine: Nothing Concrete in Florida

Marc-Olivier Cook
Patrik Laine: Nothing Concrete in Florida
Credit: Getty Images

It's still unclear where Patrik Laine will play in '26–'27.

The reason is very simple: the forward is still a free agent. He hasn't been able to agree to contract terms with any National Hockey League team.

And for the past few days… there have been reports linking him to the two Florida teams. 

But according to George Richards, who covers the Panthers, there's nothing concrete at this point between the player and the club.

Richards mentioned in an article that this is all just speculation for now… and clearly, we shouldn't necessarily assume that Laine will play for the Panthers next season.

We know that Laine is no longer the young phenom who scored 44 goals with the Winnipeg Jets.

But we also know he's one of the few 6'5″ forwards who also possesses one of the best shots in the National Hockey League.

He's also previously played under Paul Maurice in Winnipeg… and there's a small connection to Florida: Laine and Aleksander Barkov both came up through the Tappara system in Finland.

So the two guys know each other well. And it makes you wonder if Barkov, for his part, wants to push to bring his buddy to Florida. 

Because the reality is, with the Brad Marchand trade, the Panthers have a hole to fill in their top-9. And considering that Laine wouldn't cost much, this could potentially become an interesting option for the team…

Stay tuned!


In a nutshell

– Meh.

– He's going to be good.

– Enjoy the read.

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