One team being urged to avoid signing Patrik Laine as talks progress

The easy pitch is familiar: buy low on an unsigned former 44-goal scorer and let Colorado's elite creators feed him.

That pitch skips the hidden cost.

Laine doesn't merely need a contract and a roster spot; he needs offensive-zone starts, top-six minutes and power-play touches to justify the bet.

Those touches already have value in Colorado. Giving them to Laine means taking them from a healthier, more versatile forward who can survive a reduced role.

Laine recorded one assist in five games during 2025-26, then underwent core-muscle surgery.

He was medically cleared late but never returned to Montreal's lineup.

He played 52 games the previous season and 18 the year before.

Across three seasons, that is 75 appearances, not enough evidence for a contender to redesign its middle six.

A cheap deal wouldn't erase that problem. It would only lower the cash price while Bednar still carries the nightly burden of finding favorable matchups and special-teams time.

And if Laine lands outside the top six, the fit gets worse. A sheltered shooter without premium setup touches can become a passenger instead of depth scoring.

That is the fresh reason Colorado should stay away. The Avalanche don't need another high-variance name; they need a forward whose usefulness survives when the shot isn't falling.

Laine's career production still commands respect: 224 goals in 537 regular-season games. His 44-goal peak explains why teams keep circling.

But Colorado is choosing for April and May, not for a training-camp headline. Availability, pace and role flexibility matter more when every roster slot has a playoff job.

Chris MacFarland still has roster decisions to make, and this one should be simple. Spend the remaining flexibility on a player Bednar can trust in multiple situations.

Laine may score elsewhere.

Colorado should pass.

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