- Bruce Garrioch reports the Senators discussed signing Patrik Laine before backing away
- Ottawa doesn’t believe the Finnish sniper fits its roster right now
- Read below for the four teams still tied to Laine and what Ottawa is doing instead
The Senators talked themselves out of Patrik Laine.
Ottawa Sun columnist Bruce Garrioch reported that general manager Steve Staios and the Senators discussed signing the unrestricted free agent winger, then let the idea die. Garrioch called it “highly doubtful” Laine lands in Ottawa and wrote that the ship has likely sailed.
Fit is the sticking point. Garrioch’s understanding is that the Senators don’t think Laine matches what the roster actually needs.
That’s an odd conclusion for a club that could use a pure finisher. Laine has reached 20 goals four times and scored 44 in his second NHL season with Winnipeg.
Take a look at what a healthy Laine still does to a goalie, a three-goal night against Buffalo in December 2024:
Health is the problem. Laine played five games for Montreal last season and finished with one assist before core muscle surgery wiped out the rest of his year.
Their answer instead is Andre Burakovsky, picked up from Chicago this summer. He hasn’t scored 20 goals since 2019 with Colorado, and Garrioch wrote that the Senators are counting on him rediscovering his game in a top-six role.
Laine is not out of options. Toronto, Florida, Dallas and Tampa Bay have all been tied to him at some point, and he remains unsigned with training camps opening later this month.
New York got closer than anyone. The Islanders were only willing to put a tryout offer on the table, and Laine wants a real contract.
So the Senators are out. Laine needs another team to step up before camp opens.
