Montreal Canadiens forward Patrik Laine is entering the final season of his contract and is a pending unrestricted free agent (UFA). With this, there naturally have been some questioning if he could be a trade candidate for the Canadiens.
While Laine has created some chatter in the rumor mill, NHL insider Frank Seravalli made it clear during a recent episode of Bleacher Report's Insider Notebook that he thinks the Canadiens trading the skilled winger this summer is unlikely.
"I think probably pretty unlikely at this point," Seravalli said about the possibility of Laine being traded. "Let's see how this season starts and let's see what kind of productivity level he finds."
With the Canadiens looking to build off their solid 2024-25 season, it would be understandable if they started the year with Laine, like Seravalli argued. He has shown during his career that he has the ability to be an impactful scorer when playing at his best, so giving him another shot would be a smart decision.
Laine recorded 20 goals, 13 assists, 33 points, and a minus-14 rating in 52 games with the Canadiens last season. A good chunk of his offense came on the man advantage, as he had 15 power-play goals and 19 power-play points. Thus, if the Canadiens do end up keeping him around for the start of the season, they will be hoping that he can make a more significant impact at even strength.
Canadiens New Forward Is Prime Breakout Candidate
Earlier this off-season, the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens">Montreal Canadiens </a>acquired forward Zack Bolduc from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for defenseman Logan Mailloux. This is easily one of the most intriguing trades of the summer, as Bolduc and Mailloux are both former first-round picks with very bright futures. Yet, with the Canadiens bringing in star right-shot defenseman Noah Dobson from the New York Islanders, it makes sense that they were willing to part ways with Mailloux to land a young forward like Bolduc.
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