Updated Ranking of 2026 NHL Free Agents After Connor McDavid Extension

The Canadiens have a very exciting situation about to unfold with their horde of young talent.

From Cole Caufield to Lane Hutson to Ivan Demidov to Juraj Slafkovský, it feels inevitable that the Habs will be a menace for years to come. Patrik Laine was a big part of their breakout last season as a weapon on the power play, however, and his legacy as an offensive spark plug could make him a hotly pursued player next summer.

Laine’s elite shot makes him a threat to score any time he’s on the ice, and many contending teams love to have specialists like that in the lineup to make teams pay, especially for taking penalties.

Are there questions about his commitment to defensive play? Yes, 100 percent there are absolutely.

However, Laine is 27 years old, which, when it comes to unrestricted free agency, would make him one of the younger players available to sign. Sure, names like Evgeni Malkin, Mats Zuccarello, Claude Giroux, and Alex Ovechkin make our heads spin at the possibility of them signing somewhere else for a year or two for juicy money, but the likelihood of those guys changing addresses seems really, really low.

Laine would certainly come with a “buyer beware” advisory, but former 30-to-40-goal scorers offer the tantalization of maybe being able to do it again.

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