Flames May Have No Choice but to Sign Patrik Laine

The Calgary Flames were expected to struggle putting pucks in the net this season, but not to the extent we’ve witnessed so far. Though admittedly very early, the Flames have managed just one goal in each of their opening three games. Even worse, they’ve given up 16 over that same span, giving them an ugly goal differential of -13.

While management understood this team could struggle in what is a rebuilding phase, the hope was that some of the younger talent on this roster could step up and begin producing on a more consistent basis. Based on what we’ve seen through these first three games, that may not be the case.

Not helping matters is that Jonathan Huberdeau remains sidelined and nothing has been said regarding a potential return. The 33-year-old is far from the player he was in his prime with the Florida Panthers, but is still one of the better offensive weapons this team has. With it not sounding like a return is on the horizon, it may be time already for the Flames to look externally for offensive help.

Patrik Laine Remains Available

One of the more interesting storylines early in the 2026-27 season is that Patrik Laine remains unsigned. It’s been quite a fall from grace for a player who early in his career looked like he was going to be one of the NHL’s best goal scorers for a long period of time.

Laine, who went second overall in the 2016 draft, came into the league shot out of a cannon. He scored 36 goals as a rookie and put up 44 the next season as a 19-year-old. While he has had some other solid seasons since, the production hasn’t been nearly as impressive.

Making matters worse for Laine was that he was limited to just five games last season after undergoing core surgery in October. Injuries have had a significant impact on the Finnish sniper, as he’s logged just 75 games over the last three seasons. That’s why for many teams he isn’t worth the gamble. The Flames, however, are in a much different spot.

With the Flames, there isn’t a whole lot of downside to adding Laine. They have a plethora of cap space and aren’t facing any sort of pressure to win games. If they were to sign Laine and it didn’t go as planned, it would have no real long-term implications on the organization.

The one issue some would point to is that bringing in Laine would take away ice time from younger players on the team. That said, there may be no choice given that seemingly nobody in their current lineup can put the puck in the net. In the right circumstances, Laine can help with that, perhaps in a big way.

Flames Could Get Value Out of Laine

As mentioned, Laine not too long ago was viewed as one of the better goal scorers in the NHL. He’s had an entire year to rest and get healthy. Now, he just needs an opportunity to prove that he does still have the ability to score goals on a regular basis.

The Flames are a team who can certainly afford to give him that opportunity, and not only to help with their offence. Should Laine re-establish himself, management may be able to flip him at the trade deadline in exchange for a draft pick and/or prospect.

That makes this a fairly low-risk move for general manager Craig Conroy. The Flames aren’t expected to contend this season, meaning there is little reason for them to be overly concerned about adding a reclamation project. If Laine struggles, they can simply move on. If he finds his game, they could have a legitimate scoring threat on their hands.

They don’t need to sign Laine because they believe he will turn them into a playoff team. They need to consider it because they desperately need offence, have the cap space to take a chance and could potentially turn the signing into an asset down the road.