Patrik Laine has been a free agent since July 1, and with training camps opening in less than two weeks, a new report suggests his decision may finally be close. The list of suitors, which numbered as many as six teams earlier in the offseason, has reportedly narrowed down to just five.
According to Senators beat reporter Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen, the Ottawa Senators are one of five teams involved in Laine’s free-agent search, joining the Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Dallas Stars. If Laine is prioritizing a shot at winning, Dallas, Florida, and Tampa Bay likely hold the edge, since the Senators aren’t expected to be a serious playoff contender next season.
Patrik Laine’s future
The Maple Leafs’ interest carries some intrigue given Laine’s draft history — he went second overall in 2016, one pick after Auston Matthews went first — but the fit is complicated. Toronto was actually about $2.75 million over the salary cap as of this summer, according to PuckPedia, leaving no room for a minimum-salary contract as things stand. A Max Domi move to long-term injured reserve could change that by opening up both cap space and a roster spot, though after adding several middle-six forwards over the summer, some view Toronto as more of a long shot than the other suitors.
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Florida and Tampa Bay have reportedly been scouting Laine’s conditioning closely, and it’s easy to see why. He’s been training in south Florida for weeks, regularly skating at the Panthers’ facility. But his recent injury history is exactly what teams are trying to evaluate before committing. He appeared in just five games with the Montreal Canadiens in 2025-26 before needing core muscle surgery in late October, and was ultimately healthy scratched for the remainder of the season, including Montreal’s playoff run.
The season before that tells a different story. In 52 games with Montreal in 2024-25, Laine scored 20 goals and posted 33 points — 15 of those goals and 19 of those points came on the power play, a rate among the best in the league. It’s that specific skill teams are betting on, even if the two-way game and health are question marks.
Laine has 224 goals and 422 points in 537 career regular-season games since Winnipeg took him second overall in 2016, once scoring 44 goals in a season at just 19 years old.
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