On Wednesday, Ehlers' former teammate Patrik Laine told the Columbus Blue Jackets that he would like a fresh start elsewhere after four years with the team:
Laine also forced himself out of Winnipeg in 2020-21.
On Jan. 28, after playing in just 18 games (six goals, three assists), Laine entered the NHL's Player Assistance program to focus on his mental health.
Although the league has yet to reinstate Laine, it sounds like he'll be available for the 2024-25 season.
One of the NHL's best snipers when on his game, the former second overall pick in 2016 has struggled to live up to expectations in two cities due to injuries and, at times, effort.
The questions now are: Can Laine stay healthy and return to form, and where will he play this upcoming season?
Could he be a fit with the Islanders?
The biggest issue with acquiring Laine, for New York and every other team, is his $8.7 million cap hit in each of the next two seasons.
The Islanders currently have only $6.43 million in cap space, which means they would need Columbus to retain salary on Laine's deal.
If the Blue Jackets retain 50 percent, Laine's cap hit will be manageable at $4.35 million.
The Jackets have a ton of cap space, a tad under $24 million, so they should have zero issues retaining.
Because it's public that Laine wants out, the Blue Jackets don't have much leverage at all on the trade market.
Every team in the NHL would want a locked-in Laine, but with the injury history and the cap hit, it's a risk for any team that sends assets the other way.
For a team like the Islanders, it's a major risk because of their lack of assets, but if they could send a larger contract the other way, along with a pick, it actually could help them in the long run in more ways than one.
Yes, the Islanders need another goal scorer to complement Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat, and there's a chance that Laine could fit in perfectly up there.
However, is he the best fit?
He hasn't played a full season since 2019-20, and even then, the season was cut short due to COVID-19.
In the last three seasons, he's played 18, 55, and 56 games, respectively.
Although often unavailable, when he does play, he produces.
In 2021-22 and 2022-23, he scored 20-plus goals, 26 and 22 respectively, with 30 assists each season.
Over the last three seasons, he has been on a 34-goal pace, but the best ability is availability, so projections mean nothing.
Laine can undoubtedly rip the puck, but the Islanders need a more dynamic player- someone who can produce and play well on both ends of the ice- especially under head coach Patrick Roy.
His skating is also not up to the level the Islanders would need to pair with Barzal and Horvat.
In this case, it doesn't seem like the risk is worth the reward.
There's no question that some NHL team will take a chance and hope that Laine, in a better situation, gets back to the game he showed in 2018-19 when he potted 30 goals.
However, it's unlikely that the Islanders are that team to give him his next chance.
In 480 career games in both Winnipeg and Columbus, Laine has 204 goals and 184 assists for 388 points.
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