[The Athletic] Patrik Laine to the Wild may be a no-brainer, but making it work is a head-scratcher
August 5, 2024
[The Athletic] Patrik Laine to the Wild may be a no-brainer, but making it work is a head-scratcher
15 comments
More smoke regarding the Wild potentially trading for Laine. It would be too big of a risk imo, especially for the 2025-26 season when making the playoffs is a must.
I think he would be a better fit for the Habs.
It just seems like Bill would have to move something he doesn’t want to move to get Laine. I see him making calls and exploring options but ultimately no chance this happens
(one of) Gaudreau, Hartman, Foligno, or Johansson + mid level prospect is the max you can offer for someone like Laine. He’s too unpredictable currently. That said, I’d love him on Kap’s other wing
I seriously doubt that this could actually happen and I worry more if it actually does. GMBG has made this into a blue collar working team. You get a guy like this and there’s a good chance he does not fit in the locker room or on ice.
Not to mention the cap issues it causes – we’d have to move significant players / salary and Columbus isn’t that desperate (yet).
If they can somehow dump foligno and of these other terrible contracts BG has done I’d do it. But won’t happen I’m sure.
Everyone here and in the comments saying we shouldn’t do this is forgetting how good Laine was when he was on. We’re obviously not gonna get him, and I will happily eat crow if I’m wrong, but Laine is gonna put up 50 somewhere this season.
I just can’t make it make sense to me.
They need more goal scoring, true…but adding Laine doesn’t make them a better team. That’s a healthy Spurgeon, a season of development and full time debuts, a healthy Kaprizov to start the season, and improved goaltending.
Laine is slapping shit against the wall and hoping it sticks.
If the money wasnt such a huge obstacle, Id be all for acquiring Laine. But given the cap situation, I think Laine is a better fit elsewhere. And that’s ok, we arent winning the cup this year anyway and we have 3 F prospects with legitimate 2nd line upside to fill that spot in the future
[deleted]
Love the alternate reality in these comments. “Columbus retaining 50%”, “Laine is awesome when he is on”, “if cap hit was not an issue”. “if we could dump Moose, Hartman or Zucc”
Just a click bait article in the middle of summer.
Yes I would be in favor of trading Zucc and/or Hartman for Laine. And throw in Mojo. and maybe Gus. Just think of watching our prospects instead of old guys….. Hold on to Freddy to get a 1st round pick from Deano’s team (/s)
Not happening.
slow news week for Russo or something? seems we’re beating a dead horse here
Considering that CBJ has over 10mil in cap space and isn’t planning on being competitive in the next two years, I’m surprised that they aren’t willing to retain, especially with so many teams who would be making a push and might want Laine up against the cap.
It seems like if they want to trade him, especially since he’s a known reclamation project, CBJ’s going to have to bit the bullet.
Now, I don’t know if it makes sense for that to be with us, but I can’t see them getting a no retention “hockey trade”.
Hear me out… will they take Trenin?
If the price is somewhat low I’d say go for it, but there’s no way other teams can’t put out a decent offer that could beat what the Wild can give
The way I see it, the offer on the Wild’s side has to start with Rossi. He’s the only truly movable positive asset the team both has and seems willing to part with, while also having some money attached to him. I do think CBJ would be interested in Rossi, so it’s not just a trash dump. If everyone had the ability, I think both teams would do a 1 for 1 swap, but it’s not that easy.
The hard part is encouraging CBJ to eat 3-4MM of Laine’s salary for 2 years and take on salary to compensate. The retention alone is worth about a 1st rounder, and CBJ still needs to eat another 4-5MM in salary. The Wild’s options here are Freddy (2.1MM), who I think both teams would be willing to swap for no extra assets either way; Jon Merrill (1.2MM) who can either be traded or buried almost entirely, with the latter being more likely; and that’s really it. Gus isn’t a good option to move for either team: Minnesota needs him just to cover games. Fleury and Wallstedt almost certainly can’t combine to play 82 games, and CBJ wants to keep their slots open for their fairly good goalie prospects.
**Overall we’re looking at Rossi (0.86MM) + Freddy (2.1MM) + 1st for Patrik Laine (4.35MM).** Jon Merrill (1.15MM buried), Marcus Johasson (1.15MM buried) brings it to MIN Outward: 5.66MM. This would let them get a 50% retained Laine and gain 1.31MM in cap space. Is it a trade *I’d* make if I were in Guerin’s shoes? Maybe. If there’s genuine belief that Yurov is to be a center, there’s not much room for Rossi *and* Heidt to on the roster, and there’s a desperate need for skilled wingers on this team both now and in the future. Laine’s still 26 so it’s not like he’s a rental, but losing Rossi hurts quite a bit in the short-term while Yurov and Heidt develop.
15 comments
More smoke regarding the Wild potentially trading for Laine. It would be too big of a risk imo, especially for the 2025-26 season when making the playoffs is a must.
I think he would be a better fit for the Habs.
It just seems like Bill would have to move something he doesn’t want to move to get Laine. I see him making calls and exploring options but ultimately no chance this happens
(one of) Gaudreau, Hartman, Foligno, or Johansson + mid level prospect is the max you can offer for someone like Laine. He’s too unpredictable currently. That said, I’d love him on Kap’s other wing
I seriously doubt that this could actually happen and I worry more if it actually does. GMBG has made this into a blue collar working team. You get a guy like this and there’s a good chance he does not fit in the locker room or on ice.
Not to mention the cap issues it causes – we’d have to move significant players / salary and Columbus isn’t that desperate (yet).
If they can somehow dump foligno and of these other terrible contracts BG has done I’d do it. But won’t happen I’m sure.
Everyone here and in the comments saying we shouldn’t do this is forgetting how good Laine was when he was on. We’re obviously not gonna get him, and I will happily eat crow if I’m wrong, but Laine is gonna put up 50 somewhere this season.
I just can’t make it make sense to me.
They need more goal scoring, true…but adding Laine doesn’t make them a better team. That’s a healthy Spurgeon, a season of development and full time debuts, a healthy Kaprizov to start the season, and improved goaltending.
Laine is slapping shit against the wall and hoping it sticks.
If the money wasnt such a huge obstacle, Id be all for acquiring Laine. But given the cap situation, I think Laine is a better fit elsewhere. And that’s ok, we arent winning the cup this year anyway and we have 3 F prospects with legitimate 2nd line upside to fill that spot in the future
[deleted]
Love the alternate reality in these comments. “Columbus retaining 50%”, “Laine is awesome when he is on”, “if cap hit was not an issue”. “if we could dump Moose, Hartman or Zucc”
Just a click bait article in the middle of summer.
Yes I would be in favor of trading Zucc and/or Hartman for Laine. And throw in Mojo. and maybe Gus. Just think of watching our prospects instead of old guys….. Hold on to Freddy to get a 1st round pick from Deano’s team (/s)
Not happening.
slow news week for Russo or something? seems we’re beating a dead horse here
Considering that CBJ has over 10mil in cap space and isn’t planning on being competitive in the next two years, I’m surprised that they aren’t willing to retain, especially with so many teams who would be making a push and might want Laine up against the cap.
It seems like if they want to trade him, especially since he’s a known reclamation project, CBJ’s going to have to bit the bullet.
Now, I don’t know if it makes sense for that to be with us, but I can’t see them getting a no retention “hockey trade”.
Hear me out… will they take Trenin?
If the price is somewhat low I’d say go for it, but there’s no way other teams can’t put out a decent offer that could beat what the Wild can give
The way I see it, the offer on the Wild’s side has to start with Rossi. He’s the only truly movable positive asset the team both has and seems willing to part with, while also having some money attached to him. I do think CBJ would be interested in Rossi, so it’s not just a trash dump. If everyone had the ability, I think both teams would do a 1 for 1 swap, but it’s not that easy.
The hard part is encouraging CBJ to eat 3-4MM of Laine’s salary for 2 years and take on salary to compensate. The retention alone is worth about a 1st rounder, and CBJ still needs to eat another 4-5MM in salary. The Wild’s options here are Freddy (2.1MM), who I think both teams would be willing to swap for no extra assets either way; Jon Merrill (1.2MM) who can either be traded or buried almost entirely, with the latter being more likely; and that’s really it. Gus isn’t a good option to move for either team: Minnesota needs him just to cover games. Fleury and Wallstedt almost certainly can’t combine to play 82 games, and CBJ wants to keep their slots open for their fairly good goalie prospects.
**Overall we’re looking at Rossi (0.86MM) + Freddy (2.1MM) + 1st for Patrik Laine (4.35MM).** Jon Merrill (1.15MM buried), Marcus Johasson (1.15MM buried) brings it to MIN Outward: 5.66MM. This would let them get a 50% retained Laine and gain 1.31MM in cap space. Is it a trade *I’d* make if I were in Guerin’s shoes? Maybe. If there’s genuine belief that Yurov is to be a center, there’s not much room for Rossi *and* Heidt to on the roster, and there’s a desperate need for skilled wingers on this team both now and in the future. Laine’s still 26 so it’s not like he’s a rental, but losing Rossi hurts quite a bit in the short-term while Yurov and Heidt develop.