The Senators were among the teams that considered the idea of pursuing winger Patrik Laine this summer, reports Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. However, the ship has likely sailed on the idea of the 28-year-old joining Ottawa, with the pundit noting the organization feels that Laine wouldn’t be the right fit for the roster. Laine has been one of the better scorers at times in his career but has struggled to stay healthy and was limited to just five games with Montreal last season. While Laine is eligible for performance incentives (though only on a one-year deal), no contract has come together yet. Garrioch noted that Toronto, Tampa Bay, Florida, and Dallas were all believed to have shown interest in Laine at some point and while nothing has materialized to this point, he should land a spot somewhere before much longer.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
While several teams will be bringing in players on tryouts over the coming weeks, don’t expect the Flyers to be one of them. Jackie Spiegel of the Philadelphia Inquirer relays (Twitter link) that as of today, the expectation is that Philadelphia won’t be adding any tryouts, instead focusing on their existing internal battles for spots. Prospects Oliver Bonk and Alex Bump are among those who will be looking to secure themselves a full-time roster spot and using the preseason to give them more extended looks (within the context of a four-game schedule) may very well be the wiser play for the Flyers.
Flames prospect Bode Laylin is changing his college commitment. He announced on his Instagram page that he will be playing at the University of Minnesota when he begins his NCAA tenure next season. The blueliner was a sixth-round pick by Calgary back in June and was originally committed to go to the University of St. Thomas. His father used to coach the Tommies but was hired by the Golden Gophers this summer. Laylin had 38 points in 55 games with USHL Tri-City last season and will move up to play with WHL Everett this season.