Trading Patrik Laine for Steven Stamkos: Antoine Roussel’s (spectacular) idea

When you look at what’s in store for Kent Hughes and the Habs this summer, there’s a lot of talk about a possible forward. The club needs a second center behind Nick Suzuki, and even if management didn’t want to paint itself into a corner this morning by talking about options other than a center, we know it’s a need.

And above all, this is no longer the time for projects: it takes established guys, even if it means paying more.

That said, the club will also have to decide what to do with Patrik Laine. Kent Hughes is right when he says that the Habs wouldn’t have made the playoffs without Laine, but even so, we’ve seen how he can become a problem for the Habs at 5-on-5.

Today, Laine’s case was the talk of Sortie de zone… and Antoine Roussel, who was among the panelists, had a rather spectacular idea: he would trade Laine for… Steven Stamkos.

Yes, the Steven Stamkos who’s signed for three more years at $8 million a year and who’s just had a difficult first year in Nashville.

Exit zone I Listen to the new episode with @RainvilleJR, @Rous_ant, @glefrancoisLP and @alexandrepratt.https://t.co/GaVd8lOVfH

– 98,5 Sports (@985Sports) May 6, 2025

Roussel, who would withhold part of Laine’s salary (but not Stamkos’), sees this as a simple way to make everyone happy: Stamkos would solve the Canadiens’ second-center problem and he could replace Laine’s offensive production, and for Nashville, it would allow the club to get an out after a difficult first year in town for Stamkos.

Basically, it makes sense… but it would be a huge risk for the Habs.

Stamkos is now 35 and has just had a difficult first year away from Tampa Bay. He scored 27 goals and 53 points in 82 games, which isn’t horrible… but he finished the campaign with a -37 differential.

Laine, who got stoned for his 5-on-5 play, had a -14 differential in 52 games. It’s not a perfect statistic, but it gives you an idea.

Unless Martin St-Louis is convinced that his former teammate is part of the solution for his club, picking up a guy coming off such a season and with such a contract is a huge risk for the Habs. There’s a world out there in which Stamkos is traded to Montreal and has some great years… but is that really the kind of gamble the club wants to take?

And that’s not counting the fact that Stamkos has a no-movement clause and that Laine may have Nashville among the 10 teams he’d refuse to be traded to…

We were talking about avoiding projects: Stamkos is no longer a guarantee at this stage of his career. He’s probably, at best, a slightly better Laine who plays center… and paying $8 million a year for three more years for that would be a huge risk for the Habs.

Might as well wait until Laine’s contract is up in a year (or, at the very least, buy him out this summer, although I don’t believe in that) and reinvest that money elsewhere, right?

Overtime

– If Matthew Schaefer arrives… could the Islanders be more open to trading Noah Dobson?

Isles first overall. This may hasten the trading of Dobson if the Isles are considering it.

– Grant McCagg (@grantmccagg) May 5, 2025

– I expect him to be #2 next year.

Kent Hughes: “we’ve really enjoyed Jakub Dobes’ play this year.”

– Anthony Martineau (@Antho_Martineau) May 5, 2025

– Great read.

Chronique | Gorton et Hughes, ou l’art du recadrage https://t.co/No6Vi52Uly

– Radio-Canada Sports (@RC_Sports) May 6, 2025