Patrik Laine’s NHL future has become more uncertain. The Finnish forward is still without a contract, even though the NHL free agent market has been open for two months.

Laine’s situation may now be such that he can no longer find a guaranteed NHL contract. A well-known NHL insider considers a PTO contract to be a likely option at this stage.

– I would be surprised if he gets a guaranteed contract at this point, a well-known NHL insider says to Helsingin Sanomat.

– It seems that he will have to take a PTO contract. An incredible fall for that talented player, who was once hyped so much, he continues.

PTO stands for a tryout contract, which would allow Laine to participate in an NHL team’s training camp and aim for a regular player contract through performance. There are only about two weeks left until the start of training camps.

Laine’s last few years have been fragmented. Injuries have significantly affected the Finnish player’s number of games: over the last three seasons, he has played only 75 games out of a possible 246.

Last season, Laine managed to appear in only five games in the NHL.

His offensive skills and shot remain Laine’s key strengths. However, questions related to playing at even strength and his injury history in recent years complicate the contract situation.

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