Wild Almost Traded for NHL's Biggest Question Mark

The Minnesota Wild were among the teams who expressed interest in Patrik Laine.

Nov 29, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Patrik Laine skates during warmups before a game against the Montreal Canadiens at Nationwide Arena. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images / Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

After he was elevated out of the NHL’s player assistance program, Patrik Laine was a hot topic in trade discussions. Despite being a big name for teams to go after, the Columbus Blue Jackets didn’t see much interest in Laine at first. The Montreal Canadiens eventually won the Laine sweepstakes, but at least one other team was in the race.

According to Elliotte Friedman on the 32 Thoughts Podcast, the Minnesota Wild were taking a hard look at Laine.

“I think Minnesota was very interested in Patrik Laine,” Friedman said. “Didn’t happen, but I do think the Wild were very interested in him.”

The Wild have a pretty deep forward group already with Kirill Kaprizov and Marco Rossi as young leaders, but Laine could have gone anywhere and been a huge help. Had the Wild landed Laine, he would have brought extra punch to an already strong depth chart of wingers.

It wouldn’t have been an easy move for the Wild to pull off, though. The Wild are projected to have about $750,000 in salary cap space and Laine make $8.7 million against the cap annually.

The Wild likely would have had to make extra moves, but if they had such an interest in Laine, they much have been willing to part with big pieces.

Laine had a disappointing few seasons in Columbus but in a new environment and with a healthier mindset, he should revert back to his 40-goal ways.

Still just 26 years old, Laine is looking forward to being a top scorer in the NHL again. In 480 career games, he has 204 goals and 184 assists for 388 total points. A majority of those numbers came while a member of the Winnipeg Jets.

In 306 games in Winnipeg, Laine put up 140 goals and 110 assists for 250 points. In 2017-18 as a second-year player, Laine led the NHL in power play goals with 20.

Laine is going to be a useful weapon for the Canadiens, especially with their young core a players. The Wild may not have as young of a team, but could use someone with the scoring pop Laine has.

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