Speculation: Laine Mega Thread

[Rabid Ranger]

If I was the Jets management I would seriously look at trying to get Laine more PP time and first line time. When looking at their roster I don't really hate any of their contracts. The only one that pops out is the Wheeler one. Wheeler reminds me of the Parise contract where yes he can produce and play in the top 6 however he may be a bit overpaid once he turns 36 or so. Plus the NMC doesn't help however at the current rate it isn't a real anchor.

Winnipeg might need to explore trying one of their talented wings for draft capital and younger ELCs. Now can that be accomplished in a flat cap era? It will be hard, but I think if you are willing to maybe take a few chances there is a shot.

The question for Jets fans is:

a) would you be comfortable building your team about Laine for the future if he is willing to stay long term? That would mean trading pieces this year and next year that might hurt to lose, but trying to bring in talent that compliment Laine.

b) if Laine was willing to stay long term (6+ years term) now that you promised him to build around him and make it his team. How much cap are you willing to give him?

I don't think Laine has even hit his full potential yet, so If i was the jets I would do everything in my power to keep him.

Laine got first line minutes and max PP time this season. The issue is he's not a line driver and needs a specific type of center to be successful. That's why the Jets brought in Stastny (again). Stastny isn't a long-term solution though.

 

[SensontheRush]

Championship teams are not built around guys like Laine. Hes a complimentary piece to a successful team and should be paid as such. If hes you're top paid player, you better either have a bunch of elite guys on ELC or you're going nowhere fast.

Jets would be wise to move on from him and get what they can.

That's why everyone is trying to trade for him?

Pure nonsense man.

 

[Atoyot]

1) Disagree Danault is not a long term 2C option on a competitor. I think Danault is a great shutdown center behind Schefele. 50 pts center who can shut the other teams top center down is valuable. But hey, if the Jets don't like Danault as the center solution, it definitely falls through. What center has other teams offered that is better than Danault? I'm curious?

2) Anderson has value. More than what you see on HF boards. Not too many with the power forward game he has. Skating/Size/Grit/Goal scoring power is not easy to find. Every signal team is looking for that

3) I like Guhle too. Wouldn't want to trade him but it fits the Jets needs.

Anderson could be 8 feet tall and skate like McDavid while hitting like a truck, if he puts up 1 point every 6 games his contact has negative value.

 

[Walt22]

Jets needs are 2C and top 4D right? Danault and Guhle fit that need. Anderson on top is not some small add. Value is there. I'm out. Jets fans are sensitive to Laine trade offers. I posted an offer that they don't seem to like and it is what it is. However, I disagree that offer don't fit the needs.

Man are you ever out to lunch. You think an 18 year old that won't be in the league for 4 years, and a guy that is a 3rd line center on a good team fit the need? Classic habs fan proposal. There are no pieces that would get you laine. Live with it.

 

[Weezeric]

Hopefully for the Jets, Stastny is the fit you are looking for. I thought he would have been a great fit with Patch and Stone and he wasn't. Decent trade for the Jets cause they needed all the center help they could get. Stastny is a UFA after one more year at the age of 35. Bridge is too small between Stastny and Perfetti IMO. And Perfetti as a center is guess work. Lets see if team Canada plays him at center or wing for the WJC?

(just my 2 cents worth)

Ya, they were a pathetic 60 cf% and 64 xGF% as a line over the last two years. A real failure.....

 

[Habaholic25]

Ya, they were a pathetic 60 cf% and 64 xGF% as a line over the last two years. A real failure.....

It didn't stick cause I had Stastny in my hockey pool and noticed he was moved off that line a lot.

 

[Guffman]

Jets needs are 2C and top 4D right? Danault and Guhle fit that need. Anderson on top is not some small add. Value is there. I'm out. Jets fans are sensitive to Laine trade offers. I posted an offer that they don't seem to like and it is what it is. However, I disagree that offer don't fit the needs.

How is Guhle a top 4D? He’s 18 years old. We have highly regarded prospects Heinola and Samberg who may be challenging for NHL positions.

Danault is one year away from UFA. We already plugged in Stastney into the 2C spot. Danault isn’t needed for a 2C plug. Longer term, our #1 draft pick Cole Perfetti, may be sliding into that spot.

If “you’re out” based on thinking that solved the Jets needs and is fair value, lol good. That was such poor effort on your part.

 

[Guffman]

BTW, in terms of Jets needs right now... not sure grabbing a top 4 LHD is urgent if we want Samberg/Heinola an opportunity to play this year and beyond.

2C is solved this year. Beyond that, possibly Perfetti or extend Stastney. Honestly, I don’t think we have a major need that needs to be plugged and we’d be better off just keeping Laine this year.

A Laine deal is very unlikely at this point. I expect that this would be revisited before/after the expansion draft (also, when Laine needs to resign).

Everyone can throw posts at this for the next year but I really doubt the Jets move him for his season.

 

[Jimmyjets]

Hopefully for the Jets, Stastny is the fit you are looking for. I thought he would have been a great fit with Patch and Stone and he wasn't. Decent trade for the Jets cause they needed all the center help they could get. Stastny is a UFA after one more year at the age of 35. Bridge is too small between Stastny and Perfetti IMO. And Perfetti as a center is guess work. Lets see if team Canada plays him at center or wing for the WJC?

(just my 2 cents worth)

You are probably right that the bridge is too small but we'll have a better idea at the end of the season and we'll have a bunch of capspace even after inking Laine long term with Stas and Perreault coming off the books so we can hit the UFA market to find one if needed. Maybe Stas decides he'd stay and play one more year? Maybe we sign Danault long term? Etc. We'll be better positioned to deal with that question once we see if Perfetti is a potential option or not.

In terms of team Canada I wouldn't put too much stock into that decision. At the Hlinka they played him at C but he played Wing a lot in the OHL. If they think he's better as a Wing than that's what they'll do. For the Olympics and world juniors Cs get pushed to Wing all the time. They could have Cozens, Byfield, krebs, etc. that they may put ahead of him at this point. Mark Scheifele moved to the Wing at the world Juniors to play on the top line and he turned out fine.

 

[Hunter368]

Laine trade talk is touchy. Traded or not, I'm curious on how that plays out. Laine traded or not, hope Statsny works out for you guys.

Perfetti could be a top 6 asset playing in the NHL but it's guess work if it's 2-3 years or 3-5 years. If it's 2-3 years, he's a 2C at the age of 20/21?

Laine trade isn’t a touchy with me, completely ok trading him assuming the return fills needs and is good/fair value. All Habs fans have different views on their team/players, Jets fans are no different.

Could Cole be a 2C at 20/21? Do you consider Suzuki a 2C at 21 years old? Cole easily projects to be as good or better then Suzuki so yeh I think Cole could very possibly be a 2C at 20/21 years.....tell will tell.

 

[Jeti]

BTW, in terms of Jets needs right now... not sure grabbing a top 4 LHD is urgent if we want Samberg/Heinola an opportunity to play this year and beyond.

2C is solved this year. Beyond that, possibly Perfetti or extend Stastney. Honestly, I don’t think we have a major need that needs to be plugged and we’d be better off just keeping Laine this year.

A Laine deal is very unlikely at this point. I expect that this would be revisited before/after the expansion draft (also, when Laine needs to resign).

Everyone can throw posts at this for the next year but I really doubt the Jets move him for his season.

Yup, the roster is mostly set for next season. Unless they're getting a young top pairing RHD (Jones, Ekblad, etc. which won't happen), there's no Laine trade that improves them next year. And looking at long term needs, RW quickly becomes an issue if Laine is traded and Wheeler is in his late 30's.

Worst case, IF he's rushing to UFA, they keep him for 2.5 years and then trade him at the deadline in 2023 for a first and a prospect. If any potential return now isn't SIGNIFICANTLY better than that, they're better off keeping him. And that's worst case, where he wants out and takes arbitration deals to UFA, which is pure speculation from Toronto media.

These Danault+ proposals are a complete joke.

 

[Dache]

Jets needs are 2C and top 4D right? Danault and Guhle fit that need. Anderson on top is not some small add. Value is there. I'm out. Jets fans are sensitive to Laine trade offers. I posted an offer that they don't seem to like and it is what it is. However, I disagree that offer don't fit the needs.

I’m not saying Guhle can’t be a top 4 in the future. I’m saying they need a top 4 now and have internal prospects that can be that in a few years so there’s no reason to give assets for more of the same. Anderson is the same thing. If we didn’t have anyone like that then for sure it’s a great piece but we have similar caliber players we can use so it’s not worth giving assets for. That’s like trying to trade Rask or Rinne to Montreal and me saying you think he has no value cause you don’t like the trade. It’s not that he has no value, it’s that you already have that piece.

 

[tbcwpg]

Perfetti is a good snag but not so sure he is a center or winger at this stage. You can try him at center and it might be a perfect fit or not. It's guess work. And how long does it take Perfetti to be a 2C on a contender? 3-5 years?

Fair to say that you are after a top 4D more than center at this stage. I can see that. From the Habs, we won't offer Romanov. Not because the value is off but because we want to know how good Romanov is first and we need Romanov on our LD long term projection.

I still think the Jets would be after a center/top 4D target. Could be a proven NHL center and young guy on D or vice versa. Do you see any team giving both a top 4D and top 2C under team control? What team can do that? I don't see any

That's why the ask is probably now one of a top 4D or top 2C without any kind of adds on either side, and I think they'd only move Laine now if they can get a top 4 defenceman that they think could play long term, preferably on the right hand side. I think there's a reason the trade talk has cooled, because after the draft the landscape for the Jets changed.

 

[Habaholic25]

Man are you ever out to lunch. You think an 18 year old that won't be in the league for 4 years, and a guy that is a 3rd line center on a good team fit the need? Classic habs fan proposal. There are no pieces that would get you laine. Live with it.

Nice chat but I don't agree with your narrative and aggression

 

[Habaholic25]

Laine trade isn’t a touchy with me, completely ok trading him assuming the return fills needs and is good/fair value. All Habs fans have different views on their team/players, Jets fans are no different.

Could Cole be a 2C at 20/21? Do you consider Suzuki a 2C at 21 years old? Cole easily projects to be as good or better then Suzuki so yeh I think Cole could very possibly be a 2C at 20/21 years.....tell will tell.

It's rare to find a guy like Suzuki who can play a top 2C role at the age of 20/21. I'm just as high on Perfetti as you are but I don't have him as a sure shot center at the age of 20/21. Like I said, lets see what role he plays for team Canada at the WJC. Before Suzuki played games in the NHL, I had him as a C/RW type and didn't think he was strong enough to play center in the NHL. Watched him closely at the memorial cup too. The kid busted his ass off and added muscle. Perfetti can do that too but these are rare cases man. Most prospects only show top of the line-up ability from the 23+ age range. Always exceptions yes but exceptions are not the general rule.

Laine trade conversations are touchy. Evidence is all around you

 

[Hunter368]

It's rare to find a guy like Suzuki who can play a top 2C role at the age of 20/21. I'm just as high on Perfetti as you are but I don't have him as a sure shot center at the age of 20/21. Like I said, lets see what role he plays for team Canada at the WJC. Before Suzuki played games in the NHL, I had him as a C/RW type and didn't think he was strong enough to play center in the NHL. Watched him closely at the memorial cup too. The kid busted his ass off and added muscle. Perfetti can do that too but these are rare cases man. Most prospects only show top of the line-up ability from the 23+ age range. Always exceptions yes but exceptions are not the general rule.

Laine trade conversations are touchy. Evidence is all around you

As more then one insider commented on Cole hockey IQ is off the charts.....one kept saying he had the highest hockey IQ in the entire draft this year.......Cole’s development is one of the least things I’m concerned about.


Your reading a bunch of none Jets fans comments and a smaller vocal Jets fan group posting here.......assuming either represent all fans POV would be an error. Don’t get me wrong, trading Laine would be a huge thing for the team and all fans realize that......some are more open to it then others and what the return would need to be is also be up for debate.....I’m willing to trade anyone, for the right return. I have zero emotional attachment to players, they’re assets to be moved & used as required to the benefit of the team.

 

[Habaholic25]

As more then one insider commented on Cole hockey IQ is off the charts.....one kept saying he had the highest hockey IQ in the entire draft this year.......Cole’s development is one of the least things I’m concerned about.


Your reading a bunch of none Jets fans comments and a smaller vocal Jets fan group posting here.......assuming either represent all fans POV would be an error. Don’t get me wrong, trading Laine would be a huge thing for the team and all fans realize that......some are more open to it then others and what the return would need to be is also be up for debate.....I’m willing to trade anyone, for the right return. I have zero emotional attachment to players, they’re assets to be moved & used as required to the benefit of the team.

Just like with Caufield, Perfetti needs to prove it when they play NHL games. The development from 18-21 is huge and it's guess work. Hype is hype. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it don't. Like I said, the concern I had on Suzuki was physical strength when he turns pro. Lots of prospects struggle in that department when there is less time and space and up against men. It's anybody's guess really. Predicting hunger to improve is risky business in the draft +1, +2, +3, etc years. Lets see what kind of impact Perfetti has at the WJC. Points production is one thing but the eye test and how players are line drivers is where the real value is at. You will have a better idea on his potential and how fast it will take him to reach it after that tournament. It's not a be all end all but a good sample to project forward.

My opinion remains... Laine trade chatter on HF boards is a touchy subject. I think the smaller vocal Jets fan group your are talking about is a very loud group. It's passion and you don't want to trade Laine for meh return or something you regret down the road. We all understand that. This reminds me of the Subban situation with the Habs back when. Bergevin was trying to move him for PLD+ and that fell through and settled on Weber. Might end up the same with Laine. Bergevin's clock was the NMC that kicked in on July 1st and the Jets clock with Laine is one more year where he needs a new contract for the 21/22 season. Hopefully it's not a distraction this next season cause it does not appear that there is a trade that works... at least not what we are seeing on social media chat forums

 

[Dache]

It's rare to find a guy like Suzuki who can play a top 2C role at the age of 20/21. I'm just as high on Perfetti as you are but I don't have him as a sure shot center at the age of 20/21. Like I said, lets see what role he plays for team Canada at the WJC. Before Suzuki played games in the NHL, I had him as a C/RW type and didn't think he was strong enough to play center in the NHL. Watched him closely at the memorial cup too. The kid busted his ass off and added muscle. Perfetti can do that too but these are rare cases man. Most prospects only show top of the line-up ability from the 23+ age range. Always exceptions yes but exceptions are not the general rule.

Laine trade conversations are touchy. Evidence is all around you

I get you not being sold that perfetti is a 2C by 20/21, but it’s a similar situation to you not wanting to trade a Romanov until you know what he is. Why trade for a 2C when we have Statsny now and maybe Perfetti. It may be a waste of a trade if that’s what he turns into

 

[Atoyot]

Hopefully for the Jets, Stastny is the fit you are looking for. I thought he would have been a great fit with Patch and Stone and he wasn't. Decent trade for the Jets cause they needed all the center help they could get. Stastny is a UFA after one more year at the age of 35. Bridge is too small between Stastny and Perfetti IMO. And Perfetti as a center is guess work. Lets see if team Canada plays him at center or wing for the WJC?

(just my 2 cents worth)

The position he plays at the World Juniors has no bearing on what he'll be in the NHL. Team Canada can pick and choose whoever they want to play center and center is such a hyped position that they have them playing wing every year. Just a reminder that Scheifele was also used at wing at the World Juniors.

 

[japhi]

Habs Jets Laine trade is a non starter. It would involve for the Habs killing their future at C - Kotka, Suzuki or both. And as a Habs fan that has watched a parade of sub standard C’s come through the past few decades, both those guys are no trade. And yes Laine is better then both today and overwhelming odds are that doesn’t change in the future.

And this is the problem trying to acquire a guy like Laine, you have to blow a massive hole in the roster to acquire him. Thats why guys like him almost never move - everyone is interested but impossible to put a deal together.

 

[Snowman]

Habs Jets Laine trade is a non starter. It would involve for the Habs killing their future at C - Kotka, Suzuki or both. And as a Habs fan that has watched a parade of sub standard C’s come through the past few decades, both those guys are no trade. And yes Laine is better then both today and overwhelming odds are that doesn’t change in the future.

And this is the problem trying to acquire a guy like Laine, you have to blow a massive hole in the roster to acquire him. Thats why guys like him almost never move - everyone is interested but impossible to put a deal together.

Well said. Very good points.

 

[Habaholic25]

I get you not being sold that perfetti is a 2C by 20/21, but it’s a similar situation to you not wanting to trade a Romanov until you know what he is. Why trade for a 2C when we have Statsny now and maybe Perfetti. It may be a waste of a trade if that’s what he turns into

We have a better sample size with Romanov playing against men in the KHL and how dominate he was at the WJC for two years in a row. This approach I am taking is applied to all prospects equally. I would say Caufield is on par with Perfetti on the development ladder or they are close. Perfetti drafted one year later however but we need to see them against men. Caufield is playing against older players in the NCAA vs Perfetti in the CHL. We will see. Like I said, it's risky business projecting development and hunger to improve. Some struggle and figure it out over time and others don't struggle and show potential earlier. Both players are listed as wingers/centers at the moment. Usually, these types end up on wing. Always exceptions yes.

Statsny is not a sure shot 2C solution. He was the Jets best option in terms of price to pay on the trade market. He has one year left and it's undetermined if you get the same results from him at age 34/35 vs when you had him at age 32. If he has a good season, I'm guessing you extend him to bridge the cap for when Perfetti might be ready. However, it's also possible Statsny is patch work for one year and Perfetti takes a while or does not become a center.

So from the outside looking in, I don't think your center needs are addressed 100%. Could be but not guaranteed. But it's fair to say you are after a top 4D more than a Center today.

 

[Dache]

We have a better sample size with Romanov playing against men in the KHL and how dominate he was at the WJC for two years in a row. This approach I am taking is applied to all prospects equally. I would say Caufield is on par with Perfetti on the development ladder or they are close. Perfetti drafted one year later however but we need to see them against men. Caufield is playing against older players in the NCAA vs Perfetti in the CHL. We will see. Like I said, it's risky business projecting development and hunger to improve. Some struggle and figure it out over time and others don't struggle and show potential earlier. Both players are listed as wingers/centers at the moment. Usually, these types end up on wing. Always exceptions yes.

Statsny is not a sure shot 2C solution. He was the Jets best option in terms of price to pay on the trade market. He has one year left and it's undetermined if you get the same results from him at age 34/35 vs when you had him at age 32. If he has a good season, I'm guessing you extend him to bridge the cap for when Perfetti might be ready. However, it's also possible Statsny is patch work for one year and Perfetti takes a while or does not become a center.

So from the outside looking in, I don't think your center needs are addressed 100%. Could be but not guaranteed. But it's fair to say you are after a top 4D more than a Center today.

I don’t think you’re really reading what I’m saying. I’m not saying you’re pieces aren’t valuable or that the jets have everything figured out, but it’s a waste of a trade if they already traded for Statsny as there’s no guarantee Danault is a good fit either, and the other pieces are pieces that are not of a need

 

[Habaholic25]

Habs Jets Laine trade is a non starter. It would involve for the Habs killing their future at C - Kotka, Suzuki or both. And as a Habs fan that has watched a parade of sub standard C’s come through the past few decades, both those guys are no trade. And yes Laine is better then both today and overwhelming odds are that doesn’t change in the future.

And this is the problem trying to acquire a guy like Laine, you have to blow a massive hole in the roster to acquire him. Thats why guys like him almost never move - everyone is interested but impossible to put a deal together.

Habs tried to get PLD+ and had to settle on Weber when they were trying to trade Subban. Jets have time with Laine cause he has one year left before he needs an extension but it's anybody's guess if they get the trade package they are looking for.

It's fair to say the Habs won't trade KK, Suzuki, or Romanov and because of that, we are not in on Laine. However, it's also fair to say that what other team is going to offer them a package that includes KK, Suzuki, or Romanov types? This is HF boards so it's just fan talk but I don't know about you... what I have seen is meh offers from all teams. So this is not just a Habs issue here people. If that is the narrative, all teams are out!

 

[Holystik]

I really dont care if your feeling got hurt. There has been no one agree with you (even habs fans aren't backing you up) and ever jets fan has said you are out to lunch, but you keep coming back saying the same thing over and over again. That is classic trolling. This is not the habs board where you think you can get patrick kane for guehle and caulfield. Time to head back there. They will be much less aggressive toward your stupid opinions.

I'm a Habs fan and *Habs fans* that make silly trade proposals rarely post these on our board trade thread. By the way the majority of our fanbase also rebute them the same way you are doing. Most of the loose canons from our fan base seem to post their ludicrous offers on the mainboard. Just put them on ignore, problem solved.