Patrik Laine Gets Linked to Two Teams Who Could Use Him as a Cap Floor Solution

The arrival of Ivan Demidov will no doubt provide help to Martin St-Louis, but it now appears Kent Hughes might take away an important piece of his offense.

According to journalist Lyle Richardson of Bleacher Report, we shouldn't rule out the possibility that the Canadiens' general manager trades Patrik Laine this summer in order to gain more flexibility under the salary cap.

Here is his exact quote:

The Finnish forward, who is set to earn $8.7 million in 2025-26, is notably listed in the top 15 players Richardson believes could be traded in June.

So, this could happen in the middle of June, and according to him, Laine is among the 15 players most likely to be traded. Wow.

Two teams - the Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks - may want to reach the salary floor, and adding a veteran like Laine would no doubt help both squads, which are currently undergoing a rebuild.

At least for now, those are the two teams being mentioned.

Acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets in the summer of 2024, Laine played a key role in the Canadiens' success in the second half of the season, scoring 20 goals in 53 games.

However, the majority of those goals came on the power play, and his performance at even strength left much to be desired down the stretch and in the playoffs.