yardbarker
A report surfaced this weekend that Patrik Laine might have agreed to a professional tryout (or been offered one) with the New York Islanders.
Thats not entirely accurate.
According to Stefen Rosner of NHL.com and The Hockey News, there is interest, and he could see the Islanders offering one, but that has not happened yet.
He writes: I didnt report that the #Isles offered Patrik Laine a PTO.
What I reported was that they had conversations with his camp when free agency opened, and that I dont believe theyd be willing to offer him anything more than a PTO.
This came after his original post on July 24 where he wrote, Believe the #Isles had conversations with Patrik Laines camp this offseason, but I dont believe they got very far.
After missing 100+ games in 2025-26, Laine is eligible to sign a bonus-laden contract with a lower base salary & performance incentives.
Would help PP.
Laine could be an interesting addition for a team, especially if that team could use some power-play offense.
They can also add Laine on a cheap bonus, low-salary contract because he qualifies for performance bonuses through the injury route.
Hes played more than 400 career games with at least 100 days on injured reserve last season.
Theres one major catch, however: the eligibility only comes with a one-year contract.
That means the same structure that lowers his base salary also strips away any long-term upside for the signing team.
They take on the rehab year, and if Laine rebounds into a 30-goal scorer, hes right back on the market at 29this time holding all the leverage.
Essentially, hes a pure rental.
Do the Islanders feel like that would be worth it? Perhaps if the plan is to see how he plays and then trade him ahead of the deadline.
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