Brad Marchand just had surgery, and that opens exactly the kind of opportunity Patrik Laine has been waiting for all summer.
Marchand, 38, could miss all of training camp and the start of the season following surgery believed to be related to his hip or groin area.
Laine remains unsigned this deep into August, and Florida happens to have real connections to him already.
He and Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov grew up together in Tampere, Finland, both coming up through Tappara before their NHL careers began.
Laine's also reportedly been spotted training in South Florida this offseason, adding to the sense that this connection isn't purely hypothetical.
He's coming off a season that barely happened, appearing in just 5 games for Montreal with no goals and 1 assist before needing surgery for a core muscle injury.
He never actually returned to Montreal's lineup after October, even once medically cleared, watching from the sidelines as the Canadiens ran all the way to the Eastern Conference Final.
Why a tryout makes sense for both sides
Laine's pedigree is real despite the recent absence. He scored 44 goals as a 19-year-old under Paul Maurice in Winnipeg during 2016-17, and racked up 138 goals total between 2016 and 2020.
He moved to Columbus during the pandemic-shortened 2021 season, signing a four year, $34,800,000 deal there, before landing in Montreal and scoring 20 goals, 15 of them on the power play, during 2024-25.
Given his recent injury history, Laine likely isn't getting much more than a one year prove-it deal from anyone.
A tryout with Florida could be exactly the kind of platform that helps rebuild his stock before free agency drags any further.
Florida's cap situation is tight, though Marchand potentially going on long-term injured reserve would create some real relief.
The Panthers also don't have many open roster spots to begin with.
With Marchand out, rookie Sandis Vilmanis is expected to get a real shot alongside Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen to open the season.
This wouldn't be any kind of long-term marriage between Laine and Florida. But offering him a real look costs the Panthers very little given the circumstances, and the offensive upside if it actually clicks makes this exactly the kind of low-risk swing that fits Florida's usual approach.
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Should the Panthers give Patrik Laine a training camp tryout with Marchand out?
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