Patrik Laine is back on the radar this offseason, and the contract structure alone could make him one of the more intriguing gambles on the UFA market.
Pierre LeBrun reported Tuesday in The Athletic that there is a decent level of interest in the pending unrestricted free agent.
The reason is straightforward: because Laine spent more than 100 days on injured reserve this past season, he qualifies for a performance-bonus-based contract at a low AAV.
Pierre LeBrun: There is a decent level of interest in pending UFA Patrik Laine; because he spent more than 100 days on injured reserve this past season...he's eligible for a performance bonus-based contract at a low [AAV].
That's the kind of structure that makes a general manager take a second look at a player he might otherwise pass on.
You're essentially getting a low base salary with upside built in. If Laine stays healthy and produces, he earns it. If he doesn't, the cap damage is manageable.
The math is appealing. The health history is the part that keeps everyone up at night.
Low AAV, high upside: why GMs are calling on Laine this summer
Laine has never lacked for talent. The shot is still one of the most dangerous in the league when he's on the ice, and his release hasn't gone anywhere.
What has followed him for years is a body that keeps finding the trainer's room. That's not a minor footnote anymore. It's the defining question of his entire market value.
Columbus finished the season 40-30-12 under Rick Bowness, a flat goal differential at 253 goals for and 253 against, and went 2-7-1 in their last 10 games.
That's not a team that can afford to roll the dice on another lost season from a player who can't stay in the lineup.
Don Waddell is the man making those calls in Columbus now, and it would be genuinely surprising if Laine comes back there on any kind of contract given how his time with the Blue Jackets played out.
Buffalo makes more sense on paper. Jarmo Kekalainen took over as GM in December, and the Sabres finished 50-23-9 with 109 points, fourth in the Atlantic Division.
A team with that much offensive firepower might have less room for a boom-or-bust winger, but a low-AAV flier on a one-year deal is a different conversation entirely.
Laine at even half his ceiling is still a winger who can put up 25 goals and change a power play overnight.
The question isn't whether he has the talent for a top-six role somewhere. It's whether anyone trusts him enough to build around him again, and the answer to that is almost certainly no.
This feels like a one-year prove-it situation for everyone involved, wherever he ends up.
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Should an NHL team take a chance on Patrik Laine with a performance-bonus contract this summer?
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