Once upon a time, the Vegas Golden Knights were matched with a player named Patrik Laine. The former first-round pick had so much potential ahead of him despite suffering numerous injuries. After all, he scored 247 points (138 goals and 109 assists) in his first four seasons with the Winnipeg Jets. He could certainly produce if he stayed healthy, right?
Not everyone can be Mark Stone, you know. The Finnish right winger only scored one assist in five games with the Montreal Canadiens last season. Sure, he scored 20 goals with Montreal the season prior (15 came on the power play). But a core injury kept him out of the majority of the 2025-26 season.
He also entered the NHLPA Player Assistance Program to prioritize his mental health and well-being in 2024 after suffering a fractured clavicle. Combine that with a wave of upper-body injuries, a triceps injury, a knee injury, and other bits of pig and you have a player who can't get back on the ice.
You can already tell that this would be a problem for the Golden Knights. Vegas has faced its fair share of injuries over the years, including Stone, William Karlsson, and Shea Theodore. Adding one more player to the pile would make matters more complicated, especially when you're heading into the dreaded months of January.
Why getting Patrik Laine now is risky unless it's under one condition
The Golden Knights' roster appears set in stone for the 2026-27 season. Kelly McCrimmon seems content with rolling out the current group and is adding a defensive emphasis. Therefore, it doesn't make too much sense to add Laine unless it's from an offensive perspective.
That's especially true with the Finnish right winger totaling 7.5 defensive point shares in his 10-year career. The Golden Knights have had this problem with a previous winger before he was traded to the New York Rangers. The only difference? Things would get much worse with Laine around.
But there's one minor condition that could make this work for the former first-round pick. After all, he did score 15 power play goals in 2024-25 and became a merchant on the unit. You're not going to give him a two-year deal for him to sit on the sidelines.
Why not give him a PTO and see where he stands? The New York Islanders toyed with the idea under strict guidelines before the talks didn't go far. The Golden Knights did something similar to Tanner Pearson and watched him become a viable fourth-line forward in 2024-25. Perhaps that magic is in the works for Laine to a degree.
Again, this is all contingent on whether Laine stays healthy. It's also contingent on whether his camp moves away from seeking a multi-year deal. Kelly McCrimmon isn't too keen on handing out such contracts to players who aren't worth it (Jonathan Marchessault is a perfect example of this). It would be wise to see if the Finnish right winger is willing to bite on a PTO. If not? Move on.
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