At one point in time, Patrik Laine was one of those names that was always linked to the Carolina Hurricanes.
Trade rumors galore pitted Laine as the perfect acquisitions for the Canes, who were always in pursuit of a high-end goal scorer to push them to the next level.
At that time, those rumors always had super inflated, one-sided deals... anyone remember the rumored package of Brett Pesce, Martin Necas and a first-round pick? I do.
But is there a trade that makes sense today with Laine looking for a change of scenery yet again?
There's two major concerns when it comes to Laine.
First, is his growing list of injury concerns.
Laine, who has spent the past four seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets, played in just 18 games this past season due to injury.
He's dealt with a plethora of injuries now in Columbus, with his most recent being a broken clavicle that required surgery.
Laine is also currently in the player assistance program which he entered following surgery (He can't be moved unless he exits the program).
So there's a real concern with how durable he is and if these injury issues will affect his overall game.
The second major issue is his contract.
Laine has two years left at $8.7 million AAV.
That's a significant amount of money for a player that hasn't played a full, 82-game season since 2018-19.
But there's still the fact that Laine is a proven goal scorer and those don't just grow on trees.
Laine scored 30+ goals his first three seasons and scored 44 goals in 2017-18.
However, he has yet to reach those levels again in Columbus.
But is that a product of play or place?
Because despite the injury issues, when he's playing, Laine has had strong underlying numbers.
He's also scored at least 20+ goals in the two seasons before last year and that's without Columbus having anywhere close to a 1C.
But there's a natural 1C in Carolina who he'd potentially be a perfect fit with.
The Finnish sniper has a history with Sebastian Aho as both played on the same line for Finland at the U20 World Juniors where Finland took home gold.
So a proven goal scorer who has had chemistry with the team's top player.
There's also the fact that if the Canes are losing both Jake Guentzel and Martin Necas, they need to replace some of that offense.
Add in the fact that Laine has seemingly improved defensively, and there just might be an even better fit here than in the past.
However this is all still banking on a belief of Laine can put those injury concerns behind him.
Because a player who can't stay healthy isn't helpful.
Also, can the Hurricanes potentially get Columbus to retain some of Laine's salary?
It would be a tall task, especially because a) divisional rival and b) new general manager Don Waddell has stated that he isn't looking to retain on Laine, but Carolina has plenty of sweeteners they could offer as well with a plethora of picks and prospects.
Laine is definitely a risk at his price tag, but a reduced cost could make the gamble worth it.
Overall though, Laine should not be Carolina's first concern, but as free agency opens up and the rest of the roster moves start to be be figured out, it could definitely be an enticing option should the team need to find some added offense.
