A self-proclaimed NHL insider is claiming that the Winnipeg Jets are in "serious trade discussions" with three teams in the Eastern Conference regarding restricted free agent Patrik Laine. We cannot vouch for the sources of the person behind the profile. We can say it was the first to break the news that Artemi Panarin would be signing with the New York Rangers as a free agent this offseason, while also accurately reporting that Mats Zuccarello would be traded to Dallas last season, and that the New Jersey Devils were working on a trade with Vegas to get Nikita Gusev.
-
While no teams are mentioned in the tweet, the three mentioned often seem to be the Montreal Canadiens, the New Jersey Devils and the New York Islanders. Of those three teams, the Devils have the most cap space at just under $9 million. Montreal has just over $4 million and the Islanders close to $4.7 million. None of these teams is expected to move anyone to LTIR before the season begins, but may gain some space by sending players to the minors.
Around three weeks ago, Laine made some interesting comments about his future with the Jets, saying there had been no contact with the team regarding a new contract throughout the summer and all he knows is he'll be playing "somewhere" in the upcoming season. The 21-year-old is currently practicing with Liiga's Tampereen Tappara, a team based in his home country of Finland.
