Should the Devils be open to a Patrik Laine trade?

David Mudrak weighs some of the pros and cons of pursuing the Finnish sniper.

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By David Mudrak (@MuddyOpinions)

Earlier this week, Pierre LeBrun reported that Patrik Laine is interested in a change of scenery and that the Columbus Blue Jackets are willing to help find and facilitate a trade for the 6’5” winger.

With Don Waddell, the former general manager of the Carolina Hurricanes, taking over operations in Columbus, he’s looking to clear out some cap space and put his mark on the team.

One of the first steps to that plan is moving Laine and some or all of his $8.7 million contract with two more years remaining.

A player selected 2nd overall, who has scored over forty goals in a season, is rarely available in a trade, so it is worth investigating whether the New Jersey Devils would be a sensible landing spot for the Finnish sniper.

Laine has a bit of a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde nature to his game. When digging up the statistics from his early years or watching highlight videos, it is clear that Laine is, at times, a very special player. He has an incredible shot that he can use to score from nearly anywhere in the offensive zone. 

In his second year in the NHL, he scored 44 goals using that shot and finished the season with a career-high 70 points.

He’s yet to reach either of those numbers again. But, despite playing partial seasons because of injury or personal reasons – while on a team that he has not clicked with – he has been producing at about a point per game, totalling 56 points in 56 games in the 2021-2022 season and 52 points in 55 games in 2022-2023.

His goal-scoring would be welcomed by the Devils, who are still looking for an addition to the top-6 with Tyler Toffoli gone and Alex Holtz perhaps not ready to fill the role to the level that Fitzgerald would like. 

Beyond his shot, Laine, who is 6’ 5” and 215lbs, would add size to a Devils offense that was recently called “vanilla” by the general manager.

At 26 years old, Laine would fit the age range of the team and is young enough that a bounce back to his younger form does not sound completely ridiculous. 

If there were only positive aspects to Laine there would be no reason to trade him, so we now turn to the Mr. Hyde elements of his game.