If Patrik Laine can prove one thing, the New Jersey Devils should give him a shot

The New Jersey Devils have done a great job revamping this roster while giving themselves flexibility on the salary cap. Sunny Mehta came in and replaced Tom Fitzgerald as the top guy. He immediately made changes, including to the front office staff and coaching staff. Sheldon Keefe is still here, but Meghan Duggan, Chuck Fletcher, Jeremy Colliton, Dave Rogalski, and Dan MacKinnon are all gone. Sergei Brylin is also gone after taking a head coaching job in the KHL. 

After all the changes to management, Mehta started changing the roster. He traded Jacob Markstrom to the Florida Panthers for Evan Rodrigues and Jesper Boqvist. In one move, he solved the Markstrom extension issue that Fitzgerald left behind and added pieces to the bottom six. 

He also traded Simon Nemec to remove the logjam on defense. It wasn’t an easy move, but he got a good package of draft picks to make the move worthwhile. This one comes with a lot more risk than the Markstrom trade, but the Devils couldn’t afford to pay him what the Calgary Flames ended up coughing up. 

Mehta has upgraded the forward group slightly, adding Anthony Mantha on a two-year deal. Many might not think it’s enough, but there are options out there. With Jason Robertson off the table, Dylan Larkin remains the most valuable trade option for New Jersey. Unfortunately, he’s not on his trade list, so they have to look at other options. 

When looking at the remaining free agents, there are some intriguing players available. Vladimir Tarasenko is still available after a 20-goal season, but the Devils tried a very similar situation with Evgenii Dadonov last season, and he got hurt immediately then never did a thing except take some of the Devils’ cap space. 

Another option is Patrik Laine. Now, this one is really intriguing. Laine has been problematic in multiple ways with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Montreal Canadiens. Last season, he was essentially a lost cause as he missed most of the year with an injury. He reportedly claimed that he was healthy for the last few months of the year. 

Laine is not the player he was projected to become. At one point, he was expected to be one of the top scorers in the NHL. Today, he can’t find a job. It’s likely because he was hoping to get a multi-year offer but nobody was biting. Now, he’s probably only getting tryout offers. 

Should the Devils take a chance with a bonus-laden offer? Since Laine missed so many games the last two seasons, Mehta could offer him a minimum salary with bonus additions. 

Patrik Laine works under one condition for the New Jersey Devils

There’s really only one way that the Devils should even consider this. Laine has to prove he’s still the player he was with Columbus. If he’s not, it’s not even worth the headache. 

The one way Laine can prove he’s still worth it is if he can still shoot it like he did before. According to NHL Edge stats, Laine’s top-end shot has lost almost 10 MPH. In 2023-24, his top shot hit 98.37 MPH. Last season (albeit in just five games), his top shot was 87.83 MPH. 

If his shot isn’t special anymore, than Laine isn’t special. He’s barely an NHL player without his scoring ability. He’s not particularly fast. He doesn’t play with an edge, and nobody is calling him tough. 

Without that elite shot, Laine is just another guy. The good news is that’s incredibly easy to decipher. All the Devils have to do is put Laine through a workout. 

If he has that shot back after years of injuries, then give him the bonus-filled contract and call it a day. If not, move on to another option. 

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