Ex-Canadiens Sniper Still Unsigned As NHL Free Agent List Shrinks

The NHL saw a notable free agent finally land his contract for the season on Thursday, as David Perron signed a one-year, $850,000 contract with the Dallas Stars. This came a little over a week after Michael Bunting signed a one-year, $1.22 million contract with the Philadelphia Flyers after not being signed during the off-season.

Now, as more recent NHL free agents are finally getting signed, one former Montreal Canadiens forward is still unsigned at this point of the season: Patrik Laine.

With free agents like Bunting and Perron finding new homes, it is fair to wonder if Laine could be the next free agent signed by an NHL club. Teams looking for more scoring could consider taking a chance on him. This is especially so with how frequently injuries are occurring early on this campaign. 

Laine played in just five games last season with the Canadiens, where he recorded one assist. This was after he had 20 goals and 33 points in 52 games for Montreal in 2024-25. With that, he put up decent offensive totals not too long ago, so the possibility of him being signed by a team soon should not be ruled out.

It will be interesting to see if Laine can land with an NHL team soon. He is arguably the best free agent left after Vladimir Tarasenko.