Patrik Laine skating alongside Auston Matthews is the kind of pairing that lights up the imaginations of Toronto Maple Leafs fans. And according to reporting, the Leafs are among the teams still chasing that possibility.
Per Herb Zurkowsky, Toronto sits on a list of clubs that have been connected to the still-unsigned winger since free agency opened on July 1. The group includes the New York Rangers, Minnesota Wild, Tampa Bay Lightning, Maple Leafs, and, more recently, the Philadelphia Flyers. That is a lengthy list of suitors for a player who remains available deep into August. It speaks volumes about both Laine’s pure scoring talent and the very real risk that has kept him from signing.
The numbers explain the interest. Laine is a seven-time 20-goal scorer who has piled up 224 goals and 422 points across 537 career games. For a Leafs team that has spent years searching for another consistent finisher to complement its core, those totals jump off the page.
The on-ice fit with Matthews is straightforward and compelling. Matthews is coming off an injury-shortened campaign in which he managed just 27 goals and 53 points in 60 games. Parking a pure shooter like Laine on his off wing would give the two-time Rocket Richard Trophy winner a different look and a different threat to feed. Laine’s one-timer is the kind of weapon that forces opposing penalty kills to respect him immediately. That respect creates space for Matthews and William Nylander on Toronto’s top power-play unit—an area where the Leafs have long sought another high-end option.
Laine’s most recent healthy sample came in Montreal during the 2024-25 season. In just 52 games he produced 20 goals and 33 points, with 15 of those goals coming on the power play. That kind of specialized production is exactly what a top unit needs.
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Yet the risk is impossible to ignore, and it is the one huge catch that has defined this free-agency saga. Laine’s 2025-26 season barely existed. He appeared in only five games, recorded a single assist, and then required surgery for a core muscle injury. He has not played more than 60 games in any of the last five seasons. That durability question mark is the primary reason a proven 20-goal threat is still available this late in the summer.
For Toronto, the structure of any potential deal would likely mitigate much of that risk. A low-cost, incentive-heavy contract carries no trade cost and no long-term commitment. If Laine stays healthy and produces even a fraction of his peak scoring while playing next to Matthews and Nylander, the addition becomes one of the highest-upside value moves of the offseason. If the injury issues resurface, the Leafs can walk away having risked almost nothing.
In a market that has grown increasingly cautious about high-upside, high-risk talent, Toronto’s reported interest makes sense on paper. The upside of adding a power-play weapon who can finish plays alongside Matthews is obvious. The durability history is the only thing standing between that dream pairing and reality.