Patrik Laine remains unsigned, and his fit beside Auston Matthews is hard to ignore

It's been two weeks since free agency opened up and Patrik Laine's still a free agent, and a chance to put him with Auston Matthews is something Toronto can't ignore.

We're sitting here on July 18 where the lull of the NHL offseason is in full swing. After a flurry of moves the first few days of free agency, we've seen only a few sporadic signings capped by the massive Leo Carlsson offer sheet that was matched by Anaheim, but some big free agents have yet to sign.

Patrick Kane is available though reports says it's down to Buffalo or Chicago (which makes perfect sense) and there's still Vladimir Tarasenko kicking around the free agent market and he's someone who can give a team some offensive help and veteran leadership.

But there's still one player who hasn't been signed who could be a serious game-changer.

Patrik Laine remains unsigned as we hit the mid-point of the NHL offseason

Patrik Laine, the other 'Pat' available in free agency is still unsigned which could be due to the fact he only appeared in five games for the Canadiens last year. However, he's been a fantastic scorer for his entire career and is still more than capable of putting up a 20+ goal season.

The former 2nd overall pick in 2016 has 422 points in 537 games (224 goals, 198 assists) while spending time bouncing around the league. Starting in Winnipeg, he's played with Columbus and Montreal since then. His best year came in 2017-18 when he had 44 goals and appearing in all 82 games.

Laine dealt with a ton of mental health concerns that kept him away from the game, and it really put him in a tough spot on the ice. But he's fought through that and is looking to bounce back in 2026-27. The fact he isn't going to be making nearly $9-million is also going to help him find a spot.

Laine and Matthews went #1 and #2 in 2016 and now they could like up together

If Toronto were to clear space and give him a one-year deal to show what he can do, then putting him and Matthews together is a very solid idea. He's a natural right winger and would slide to the right easily while giving Matthews another big body presence on the ice with a deft scoring touch.

Matthews is going to need a playmaker to help him score but he also can't be the only one on the line who is responsible for that. Adding Laine would help a ton plus he had a 20-goal season in 2024-25 in only 52 games; he's more than capable.

Laine would push someone down the lineup like Easton Cowan, and the team still needs to make a move to clear cap space so you'd need to facilitate a Morgan Rielly or Dakota Joshua trade, then use Max Domi's LTIR money to make sure they have enough room now and for any other moves down the line.

But gambling on Laine is worth the risk because a) he has a chip on his shoulders and wants to bounce back and b) offers exactly the type of help Toronto needs without sacrificing assets.

You'd also have the story of being able to have both the first and second overall picks from the same draft on the same line - a sentence if said even five years ago would get you laughed out of the room.

He's also only 28, so there's a chance his prime years are just waiting to be unlocked, they just need the right team to believe in him.

Whether that's the Maple Leafs or not is anyone's guess, but adding him certainly wouldn't hurt things at all.

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