DALLAS — The Dallas Stars are among four teams with reported interest in unrestricted free agent winger Patrik Laine, Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen reported Tuesday.
Garrioch listed the Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers, Dallas, and the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Ottawa Senators discussed signing Laine, according to Garrioch, who wrote that a deal in Ottawa is unlikely and that the Senators do not view Laine as the right fit for their roster.
Laine turned 28 in April and reached unrestricted free agency in July. His four-year, $34.8 million contract carried an $8.7 million cap hit and expired at the end of last season, according to PuckPedia.
Core muscle surgery on Oct. 25 wiped out the rest of Laine’s 2025-26 season. He was limited to 5 games with the Montreal Canadiens and finished with 0 goals, 1 assist, and 1 point while averaging 12:36 of ice time.
The season before that, Laine played 52 games in his first year with Montreal and had 20 goals, 13 assists, and 33 points. He scored 15 of those goals on the power play and posted 19 power-play points.
Across 537 regular-season games, Laine has 224 goals, 198 assists, and 422 points. In 26 Stanley Cup Playoff games, he has 8 goals, 9 assists, and 17 points. The Winnipeg Jets took him second overall in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. His career high of 44 goals came in Winnipeg in 2017-18.
Dallas Stars Salary Cap Situation
Pro Hockey Rumors, working from PuckPedia figures, listed Dallas last month at $105,360,333 in cap charges against the $104 million upper limit. That put the Stars $1,360,333 over the ceiling, with $2.08 million in dead cap from a carryover bonus charge.
Jason Robertson signed a one-year, $12 million contract on July 21 after filing for salary arbitration July 5. He led Dallas with 45 goals, 51 assists, and 96 points in 82 games last season. He becomes eligible to sign an extension Jan. 1.
Tyler Seguin is in the final year of the eight-year, $78.8 million deal he signed in 2018, at a $9.85 million cap hit. Seguin skated Tuesday at the team’s practice facility as he works back from a torn right ACL. He is one of nine pending unrestricted free agents on the Dallas roster, according to TSN.
Last season Dallas went 50-20-12 for 112 points and finished second in the Central Division. The Minnesota Wild eliminated the Stars in six games in the first round.
Dallas Stars Training Camp And Schedule
Dallas opens training camp Sept. 17 at Comerica Center in Frisco. Ottawa opens its camp a day earlier at Canadian Tire Centre.
The Stars play four preseason games. The exhibition schedule starts Sept. 19 at St. Louis with a 6 p.m. CT puck drop, and Dallas closes it Sept. 25 at Minnesota.
The Stars host the St. Louis Blues in the regular-season opener on Oct. 2 at American Airlines Center. Puck drop is 8 p.m. CT on TNT.
