This free agency option is worth a shot for Matthew Darche

The New York Islanders are entering the second season of Matthew Schaefer, and after missing the playoffs in their first season, they can't afford to do it again.

There is no clear issue that they need to address; that is the massive-sized hole in their top six. They have some great talent in the top six, but they lack a pure goal-scoring winger, specifically one that can play alongside Mathew Barzal. Which is why they should look no further than free agent forward Patrik Laine, who could be a buy-low, high-reward addition at the top of their lineup.

If they can unlock the old version of Laine on a prove-it deal, they can work out an extension, but they should strongly consider taking a chance on the former second overall pick.

Why Laine makes sense for the Islanders

It's not every day that a second-overall draft pick, who is a former 44-goal, 70-point player, is still unsigned this far into free agency. Especially at the age of 28, but Laine is still awaiting his next contract.

Unfortunately, he has struggled to find his footing over the last few seasons, more specifically the last two seasons with the Montreal Canadiens. He dealt with injuries last season, only managing to play in five games, and despite being healthy and ready to return, the organization opted to keep him out of the lineup. The season before, he played in 55 games and scored 20 goals and 13 assists for 33 points, which is just half of his career-high in points, which was 70 with the Winnipeg Jets.

For the Islanders, they have the talent to unlock the former version of Laine while also having significantly less media pressure. This is something that appears to have affected him over his entire NHL career.

If Islanders' coach Pete DeBoer put Laine on a line with Barzal and Brayden Schenn and paired that line with Schaefer's defense pairing, it should allow Laine to be in the best offensive situation to allow him to return to his previous form. That would then allow a line centered by Bo Horvat to worry about more of the matchup roles against another team's top lines.

Right now, the Islanders only have approximately $2.9 million in cap space. This is still enough to sign Laine for the bonus-laden deal that he is eligible for due to the injuries and missed time last season. Nevertheless, it could be the hidden piece to make the Islanders' top six a legitimate threat.

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