NHL Trade Rumors: Latest Buzz on Patrik Laine's Jets Future, Marc-Andre Fleury

While reports circulate about the potential start date for the 2020-21 NHL season, there will be roster moves before it arrives. Although things have been quiet around the league, more free-agent signings and trades are likely to come in the near future.

There haven't been any trades since the Vancouver Canucks sent a third-round draft pick to the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for Nate Schmidt on Oct. 12, but that hasn't stopped rumors from emerging about potential deals and discussions that have taken place. And perhaps soon enough, some of these mooted trades will come to fruition.

Here's some of the latest trade buzz from around the NHL.

Is Laine's Long-Term Future in Winnipeg?

In early October, Winnipeg Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff didn't dismiss the idea of trading Patrik Laine, telling NHL.com's Tim Campbell that the Jets were "looking at all our options" when he was asked whether the Finn could be traded as they construct their roster.

However, two months have passed and Laine is still with Winnipeg. And according to Sportsnet's Ken Wiebe, that may not change anytime soon: "It seems clear there are some unresolved issues to sort through, but there's no concrete evidence the Jets and Laine have reached the point of no return and that a trade is inevitable or close to coming to fruition."

Wiebe also noted that Cheveldayoff is unlikely to address Laine's status directly, even if a trade is in the works. And as long as it's unclear whether the 22-year-old sniper has a long-term future with the Jets, expect his name will continue to be included in trade rumors.

Laine was selected by Winnipeg with the No. 2 overall pick of the 2016 NHL draft. Over his first four seasons, he's been a top scorer for the Jets, tallying 138 goals and 109 assists in 305 games.

Laine is set to make $7.5 million in 2020-21, the final season of his contract before he becomes a restricted free agent. That may be why Winnipeg hasn't traded him, as Wiebe noted that "not a lot of teams have either the salary-cap room or are willing to deliver the type of return package required" to land the right wing.

For now, Laine will remain on the Jets. But it will be interesting to see whether that changes either before the start of the season or during it.

Golden Knights Not Able to Move Fleury?

John Locher/Associated Press

Ahead of free agency, the Vegas Golden Knights signed goaltender Robin Lehner to a five-year, $25 million contract. So why not trade veteran goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, who has a $7 million cap hit the next two seasons and is the clear No. 2 behind Lehner?

Well, that contract may be just the reason why, according to The Athletic's Jesse Granger.

"The flat salary cap and financial uncertainty many teams are facing only amplifies that difficulty, which made moving him this offseason nearly impossible," Granger wrote. "Add in the fact that the team has clearly committed to Lehner with a long-term contract, and teams weren't jumping at the opportunity to help Vegas out of a bind."

Granger reported that the asking price for teams to add Fleury's contract was "very high—perhaps even more than a first-round [draft] pick." And if that's the case, then it's understandable why the Golden Knights might not want to lose other assets in order to move him.

If Fleury remains in Vegas, then perhaps the 36-year-old can still play at a high level and form a top goaltending duo with Lehner. Fleury had a 2.77 goals-against average and .905 save percentage in 49 games in 2019-20, his third season with the Golden Knights. However, he played in only four of their 20 postseason games on their path to the Western Conference Final.

Were Fleury's value to go up and other teams don't ask for as much in any potential deal, perhaps this situation will change during the 2020-21 season. But for now, he is set to remain in Vegas.