Patrik Laine is still a good player, don't get me wrong, but he would not fit on the Wild. Especially considering the cap space and his salary.
It's been five years since he has played in more than 56 games in a season and six years since he has scored over 30 goals. He has two years left on his contract that carries a $8,700,000 cap hit.
Laine, 26, is making $300,000 less than Kirill Kaprizov. Laine spent last year in the NHL Player Assist program and is likely looking for a fresh start. In 16 games last year, he scored six goals and had ten points.
The former Winnipeg Jet torched the Wild in his first four years in the league. He had 140 goals and 250 points in 306 career games with the Jets. In his career with the Jets, Laine had ten goals and four assists for 14 points in 17 games played against the Wild.
He has only one assist in four games with the Blue Jackets against the Wild. It would be nice to have Laine on the Wild's side to avoid him scoring against Minnesota but the money just doesn't work out.
The Wild have $6,256,410 in cap space according to PuckPedia. They will use some of that to resign Declan Chisholm, meaning they will have around $5 million to work with after Chisholm is signed.
Taking on Laine's $8,700,000 cap hit doesn't really fit in. Say Chisholm's deal only cost $1 million, the Wild would then have $5,256,410 left in cap space. They would have to trade a player on the team in the deal for Laine or a different deal just to make it work.
Right now, there are only three forwards on the Wild who do not have a no trade, no move clause, or a modified no trade/move clause. Matt Boldy, Marco Rossi, and Vinni Lettieri. Both Rossi and Lettieri make under $1 million so that isn't threading the needle too much and the Wild would not move Boldy in the deal for Laine either.
Jake Middleton, Jon Merrill, Zach Bogosian, and Brock Faber are the only Wild defenders who do not have any type of no trade clause. Middleton makes $2,450,000 this season, and is going to get a 3-5 year contract extension soon, Merrill makes $1.2 million, Bogosian makes $1.25 million, and Faber is untouchable.
None of those guys would free up much money to acquire Laine except Middleton. But it is excepted that Middleton will get a contract extension soon so he isn't going anywhere.
Pretty much the only player on the Wild that they could move who has a fairly big cap hit would be Filip Gustavsson. If the team were to trade Gustavsson they would have a cap hit of about $9,006,410. This is if Chisholm makes a flat $1 million and everything else stays the same.
If you were to trade Gustavsson in the deal you would have to send either a pick or two or some prospects in exchange for Laine. This would leave the Wild with $306,410 in cap space. The Wild also may have to pay Rossi $212,000 in bonuses if he makes the all rookie team. Meaning the Wild would have about $100,000 in cap space.
There is a lot that would have to go right for the Wild to acquire Laine with too much risk involved. Considering that and the fact that Laine hasn't preformed like himself in the last four years, it really doesn't make sense for the Wild to engage in any Laine trade conversations unless some of the Wild's no trade clause players ask to be traded. But even then, does it really make sense?
