Islanders kicked the tires on this UFA winger. Could signing actually happen?

The New York Islanders are among just about every NHL team this offseason looking to load up on as much scoring as possible. While the Isles haven’t blown the doors off anyone thus far, Mathieu Darche has made a couple of potentially solid under-the-radar moves.

One move that could be a great cost-effective measure is signing UFA winger Patrik Laine. Pretty much every team in the league has been linked to the 28-year-old. And the Islanders are the latest team to have been mentioned.

An earlier piece here on Eyes on Isles looked at an interesting comment from NHL analyst Mike Johnson regarding Laine’s viability as a top-six scorer.

That analysis sounds good. And it’s likely the reason why the Islanders kick the tires on Laine. According to Isles’ beat reporter Stefen Rosner, the Islanders looked into bringing Laine aboard. However, as Rosner noted, those talks didn’t get very far.

Now, it’s likely that the sticking point with the former second-overall pick lies in the term of his next contract. Laine is coming off a four-year deal signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets worth $34.8 million. There’s no way he’s getting that much now.

But it wouldn’t be surprising to see Laine’s camp wanting to push for a multi-year deal. That’s likely the sticking point. While there’s still something there with Laine, teams are wary of committing anything beyond a one, maybe two-year deal.

It’s worth noting that Laine is coming off an injury-filled season that saw him play just five games. Under the rules of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), Laine could sign an incentive-laden contract despite being under 35 years old.

Nevertheless, Laine’s camp could be holding out for a team that’s willing to sign him for a guaranteed deal. Given that July is winding down, Laine may get a little antsy about waiting any longer.

So, his options may be a one-year deal with incentives or even a Professional Tryout Contract (PTO). A PTO would probably be the worst thing for him. But at this point, Laine will want to prove he’s still a viable NHL forward.

Could Islanders take a chance on Laine?

The Islanders would certainly be happy to take a chance on Laine for the right terms. Given how cautious Darche tends to be, signing Laine to a multi-year deal at, say, $4 million or $5 million AAV would not be in the cards.

Laine is too much of a question mark to commit to anything beyond a one-year deal. But if the Finnish forward were willing to take a show-me deal, there might just be a chance for him in Long Island.

As for the fit, Laine is almost pure offense, and nothing else. That’s why his role could be somewhere along the lines of a middle-six winger playing about 10 to 12 minutes a night, with some power play exposure.

Under the right set of circumstances, Laine could get back to about 20+ goals and 40 points. He wouldn’t be the game-breaker he was earlier in his career, but who knows? Sometimes players find the right coach and organization, and manage to rekindle their careers.

That could be the case with Patrik Laine in Long Island.

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