Elliotte Friedman reveals how a Patrick Laine blockbuster trade collapsed at the deadline
Photo credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
Patrik Laine was almost a Maple Leaf or a Flyer at the deadline, and that rumor says plenty about how badly contenders still chase pure finishing.
Elliotte Friedman's note cuts through the usual trade-noise fog. Toronto and Philadelphia both had talks about Laine before the March 6 trade deadline passed without a deal.
That is not a small name floating around for clicks. Laine carries an $8.7 million cap hit and is set to become an unrestricted free agent after this season.
So this was never just about a depth swing. This was about betting on one elite shot and hoping the rest of the picture could hold together.
For Toronto, the fit is easy to see. Add Laine to a top-six group and the man advantage gets a one-touch threat that changes how penalty kills sit.
For Philadelphia, the appeal feels different. The Flyers could have used a winger who can beat a goalie clean from distance and tilt a game with one release.
The risk was just as clear. Laine has played only five games this season and has one assist after missing months following core muscle surgery.
You can almost picture the front offices arguing over the same question. Is the shot worth the money, the medical file, and the lineup shuffle?
Patrik Laine kept both teams guessing
Fans are right to see this as a real sliding-doors deadline story.
Toronto would have chased upside. Philadelphia would have chased finishing. Montreal, meanwhile, clearly listened and chose not to force a sale at a discount.
That matters because Laine is not a middle-six fixer. He is a specialist with game-breaking talent, and specialists only work when the coach can protect the usage.
Put him with the right playmaker and he scares teams on every offensive-zone touch. Put him in a heavy forechecking role, and the fit gets messy fast.
You can see the moment this rumor grabbed people, because it sounds just plausible enough to sting.
The ripple effect is the best part of this story. If Toronto had landed him, every power-play rep gets reshaped. If Philly had done it, the rebuild gets a lot more aggressive.
Instead, Laine stayed put, the deadline moved on, and two fan bases got one more reason to wonder what almost changed in a hurry.
That is why this one lingers. A scorer like Laine does not need many chances to rewrite a season, and for one day, Toronto or Philadelphia looked ready to find out.
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| POLL | ||
MARS 20|134 ANSWERS Elliotte Friedman reveals how a Patrick Laine blockbuster trade collapsed at the deadline Should one of these teams have taken the swing on Patrik Laine? | ||
| Yes | 67 | 50 % |
| No | 67 | 50 % |
| List of polls | ||