In a recent article for Sportsnet, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman reported that the Philadelphia Flyers were one of the teams that had interest in Montreal Canadiens forward Patrik Laine ahead of the trade deadline.
“There were discussions about Patrik Laine ending up either in Philadelphia or Toronto, but it obviously didn’t work out,” Friedman wrote.
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The Flyers having talks with the Canadiens about Laine ahead of the deadline is certainly interesting. The Flyers are currently on the wrong side of the playoff line, so it could have been surprising to some if they successfully brought in a pending unrestricted free agent (UFA) like Laine.
However, the Flyers also notably traded Bobby Brink to the Minnesota Wild on deadline day. With this, perhaps the Flyers viewed Laine as a potential short-term replacement for Brink in their top nine once he got fully healthy.
The Canadiens were one of the teams that had been connected to Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen ahead of the trade deadline as well.
Nevertheless, Laine, of course, did not end up being dealt to either the Flyers or the Maple Leafs and will finish the season with the Canadiens because of it. In five games this season with Montreal, Laine has one assist. This is after he had 20 goals and 33 points in 52 games for Montreal last season.
