Despite signing Anthony Duclair to a four-year agreement on July 1, the New York Islanders Could certainly use another top-six striker to bolster the attack.
In early summer, before the Duclair acquisition, Columbus Blue Jackets advance Patrick Laine it was a name that made sense in the commercial market, as he had requested a fresh start elsewhere.
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But there were some problems.
The first was that Laine was in the NHL Player Assistance Program, entering on January 28th to focus on his mental health. There was no timeline for his activation, which meant his team and other teams couldn’t talk to him.
The second was his massive contract, as he is owed $8.7 million annually in each of the next two seasons.
At the time of his trade request, the Islanders had more than $6 million in cap space available, which meant a Laine acquisition would have to come with Columbus retaining 50 percent ($4.35 million), likely along with an NHL contract going back the other way. .
With Laine’s return to hockey a question mark, Columbus didn’t have much of an advantage.
Things changed from Friday.
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Per Atletico’s Aaron PortzlineLaine is out of the Player Assistance Program.
We also now know that the Blue Jackets’ asking price, as Portzline reported, is draft picks and/or prospects for the 26-year-old, not NHL players.
Unfortunately, that last part hurts the Islanders’ chances of acquiring Laine, if there ever was a chance.
While the Islanders have the picks and potentially some prospects that could pique the Blue Jackets’ interest — other teams certainly have higher-value prospects — the Islanders are out of salary cap space.
With Duclair earning US$3.5 million annually, Mike Reilly returning on a one-year contract for $1.25 million, and Simon Holmström back at $850,000, the Islanders have $50,000 in available cap space.
This does not include Oliver WahlstromThe one-year, $1 million deal counting against the NHL cap hit would give the Islanders $950,000 over the $88 million NHL cap hit.
Therefore, if the Islanders were to acquire Laine, even with 50% retained, the Islanders would still be over the cap by $4.3 million.
That means the Islanders would need to send a player like Jean-Gabriel Pageau ($5 million AAV through 2025-26) back the other way.
But that’s not what the Blue Jackets want, as trading Laine means going from an unhappy player to having cap space — one of the best assets you could have in hockey.
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The Islanders and Blue Jackets could get a third team to come together and sign a contract, so saying it’s impossible for Laine to land on Long Island would be a lie.
It’s simply not likely.
The Blue Jackets still don’t have much of an upside, but it has certainly increased, as teams that lost “their guy” in free agency may be willing to overpay to strengthen their club.
The Islanders were never going to be the best landing spot for Laine, but they probably had interest, as many teams did/do.
Laine is certainly a risky addition to any team.
He hasn’t played a full season since 2019-20, and even then, the season was cut short due to COVID-19.
In the last three seasons, he has played 18, 55 and 56 games respectively.
Although often unavailable, when he plays, he produces.
In 2021-22 and 2022-23, he scored over 20 goals, 26 and 22 respectively, with 30 assists in each season.
Over the past three seasons, he has scored 34 goals, but the best skill is availability, so projections mean nothing.
Laine can undoubtedly rip up the puck, but the Islanders need a more dynamic player – someone who can produce and play well on both ends of the ice – especially under head coach Patrick Roy.
His skating is also not at the level the Islanders would need to pair with Barzal and Horvat. He probably fits best with Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri, with Duclair at the top.
In 480 career games with Winnipeg and Columbus, Laine scored 204 goals and 184 assists for 388 points.
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