NHL free agency is just over a week away, and the Edmonton Oilers are expected to explore all available options.

Recently, hockey insider Pierre LeBrun noted there has been significant interest in forward Patrik Laine, who played just five games last season with the Montreal Canadiens. He recently said:

With that in mind, let’s take a look at what Laine could bring to the Oilers and whether it makes sense to acquire him.

Laine would add scoring to the Oilers, and could be the trigger man next to Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl, with one of his top skills being his hard, accurate shot, having scored the fourth-most goals (224) among the 2016 NHL Draft class.

The 28-year-old only played five games last season due to injury, which we’ll dive deeper into later in the article. However, using NHL Edge data from the 2024-25 season as a larger sample, his hardest recorded shot was 90.69 MPH, which ranked in the 82nd percentile in the NHL.

Where Laine can really make an impact for any NHL club is by ripping pucks on the power play from the top of the circle.

Since he missed most of last season, let’s take a look at his body of work from 2024–25. Despite missing 30 games, he still led the Canadiens with 15 power-play goals, and all 15 came in a similar fashion.

He wasn’t banging away at rebounds, and the puck wasn’t deflecting off his shin pads into the net. Instead, he was blasting pucks from the left half boards, and as a right shot, burying one-timers from that spot — an element I feel the Oilers haven’t had since Mark Letestu was wiring them from the left-side half wall back in 2016–17.

There’s certainly value in having that skill set in the lineup, but the question is, would the Oilers really need Laine on their power play? After all, their main group of Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Zach Hyman, and Evan Bouchard already forms one of the best power play units ever assembled, having led the NHL last season with a 30.6% power play.

That said, Laine’s best fit on the PP would be where Nugent-Hopkins usually sets up, and he could be a good backup option if the 33-year-old “Nuge” sees his offence dip next season.

Also, I feel Laine could provide valuable insurance if one of the Oilers’ power-play staples goes down with an injury. We saw last season how out of sync the first unit looked when Draisaitl was out of the lineup down the stretch, at times struggling to connect on routine plays. If the Oilers were to insert Laine onto the top unit, they could keep things simple — set him up for one-timers and let him rip.

Alternatively, it seemed like the messaging from the leaders at the end of last season was about giving other players opportunities, which could translate to more minutes from the second-unit power play, and could feature Matt Savoie as the main puck distributor with Laine as the shooter.

As valuable as his shot is, there are some concerns when it comes to Laine.

One concern is his health. Laine underwent core-muscle surgery last October that kept him sidelined for a few months. He mentioned he could’ve played after New Year’s, and although he was given the green light to return in the new year, the Canadiens opted to keep him out of the lineup because the team was battling for a playoff spot and he had been out for so long.

In 2024–25, he missed the first two months of the season due to a knee injury, and the year prior, he was limited to 18 games because of a broken clavicle.

There are also question marks about his foot speed. As mentioned, he only played five games last season, but using his data from NHL Edge from the 2024–25 season, where he played 52 games, his 20.17 MPH max skating speed ranked well below the 50th percentile.

Lastly, there are concerns about his defensive game at five-on-five. Over the last six seasons, he’s posted a combined minus-79 rating and, to put it simply, the Finnish forward is no former Selke Trophy winner, Jere Lehtinen.

All things considered, should the Oilers pursue Laine?

As Ryley Delaney alluded to recently, a major acquisition decision to be made for the Oilers’ top six hinges on the outcome of the Darnell Nurse trade and the amount of money left over for the Oilers to work with. If they strike out on acquiring a legitimate top-six forward, Laine could be a very inexpensive scoring option, especially with right-shot Jack Roslovic and Kasperi Kapanen rumoured to be testing the free agency market.

That said, I’d take a flyer on him if the Oilers strike out on other options, but only if it’s a cheap deal, somewhere in the ballpark of a one-year, bonus-laden contract in the $1.5 million to $2 million range and mainly use him in offensive situations.

Also, Oilers management could pitch Laine and his agent, Andy Scott — who also represents Draisaitl — on a low-cost, one-year deal. The opportunity to play alongside either McDavid or Draisaitl could help Laine boost his production, rebuild his value, and position himself for another lucrative long-term contract down the road, wherever that may be.

Laine may not be a stalwart defensively, but if he can be had on an inexpensive contract, it’s a low-risk, high-reward type of deal worth exploring.

Having another one-shot scorer on the team is never a bad thing, and that type of weapon in the Oilers’ arsenal can make all the difference in a tight playoff game, like a Game 7 in the Stanley Cup Final, down by a goal, type of scenario.

Daily Faceoff is your Free Agency Headquarters! Big moves. Breaking news. Instant analysis. Daily Faceoff is bringing the team together July 1st for a live Free Agency Special featuring Jeff Marek, Tyler Yaremchuk, Carter Hutton, and Dave Pagnotta. Tune in at noon ET on the Daily Faceoff YouTube Channel and socials for full coverage as the NHL landscape changes. WATCH LIVE!