Proposal: RNH++ for Laine

[The Moose is Loose]

Laine hasn't been preforming to anyone's expectations in Columbus. Not to his own, the fans or Torterella's. This isn't overly surprising as many Jets fans said a coach like Torts isn't ideal for Laine who needs a lot of leash and as he has warts to his game, even if he is exceptional at shooting.

Columbus' obvious weakness is center and they need a relatively young top 6 center- the only problem with that is, they're never dealt. So looking around the league for teams that can afford to move a center and there aren't many options, but Edmonton would make sense as they have their 2 top 6 center positions locked up and RNH is a pending UFA.

RNH would be a very good fit on Columbus, he has a active motor that translates to solid detail oriented 2-way play that Tortertella expects out of his players and he has good passing abilities to find the Jackets' other shooters like Atkinson and Bjorkstrand.

Edmonton would do this because while it gives them less flexibility in terms of centers, Laine has more high end talent and potential that RNH (who is a good 1st line forward, but isn't elite at anything)

I think Edmonton would have to add, I'd suggest an unprotected 2021 1st and Caleb Jones. Jones is a young bottom pairing guy with 2nd pairing potential, and the added benefit is you're showing you're franchise player Seth Jones that you're doing everything you can to get him to resign there longterm and not walk like Columbus' previous star players. I could even see the Jones brothers being a good pairing, they're both extremely athletic skaters and the handedness would match well, but I understand Columbus has a lot of options at LHD.

RNH + Jones + 1st for Laine

Who says no?
Oilers have some momentum and RNH is a big part of that (PK, PP, and plays wing/center) so I can understand where they are coming from if they're skeptical. The Jackets just traded for Laine so I can comprehend if they want to keep him, but I think adding a top 6 all situations center would be more important for their playoff push. If they tried to move Laine for another center who do you think they could get?

This season:
Laine: 23 games- 9 goals, 7 assists, 16 points
RNH: 34 games- 11 goals, 15 assists, 26 points

Including last 2 seasons:
Laine: 173 games- 67 goals, 62 assists, 129 points
RNH- 181 games- 61 goals, 95 assists, 156 points

Click to read more...

 

[TFHockey]

Laine hasn't been preforming to anyone's expectations in Columbus. Not to his own, the fans or Torterella's. This isn't overly surprising as many Jets fans said a coach like Torts isn't ideal for someone like Laine who needs a lot of leash and as he has warts to his game, even if he is exceptional at shooting.

Columbus' obvious weakness is center and they need a relatively young top 6 center- the only problem with that is, they're never dealt. So looking around the league for teams that can afford to move a center and there aren't many options, but Edmonton would make sense as they have their 2 top 6 center positions locked up and RNH is a pending UFA.


RNH would be a very good fit on Columbus, he has a active motor that translates to solid detail oriented 2-way play that Tortertella expects out of his players and he has good passing abilities to find the Jackets' other shooters like Atkinson and Bjorkstrand.

Edmonton would do this because while it gives them less flexibility in terms of centers, Laine has more high end talent and potential that RNH (who is a good 1st line forward, isn't necessarily elite at anything)

I think Edmonton would have to add, I'd suggest an unprotected 2021 1st and Caleb Jones. Jones is a young bottom pairing guy with top 4 potential, and the added benefit is you're showing you're franchise player Seth Jones that you're doing everything you can to get him to resign there longterm and not walk like Columbus' previous star players.

RNH + Jones + 1st for Laine

Who says no?
Oilers have some momentum and RNH is a big part of that (PK, PP, and plays wing/center) so I can understand where they are coming from if they're skeptical. The Jackets just traded for Laine so I can comprehend if they want to keep him, but I think adding a top 6 all situations center would be more important for their playoff push. If they tried to move Laine for another center who do you think they could get?

I don't see this trade as very viable. RNH does a lot for the Oilers and while Laine is a much better goal scorer, Nuge is too valuable to trade for him. Having RNH allows Tippett to play Drai and McDavid together. Trading him away means the team no longer has that tool in the toolbox.

Laine is gifted offensively but not the most committed player to both ends of the ice.

The Oilers know what they have in RNH and he is also comfortable playing here. Edmonton is tied for 1st in their division (everyone has games in hand though) and playing decent hockey. I don't think Holland will mess with a good thing.

 

[bobholly39]

I'm a big believer in Laine, but his value has dropped a lot imo. RNH's value is pretty good. To me this is much closer to a 1vs1 trade than an RNH++.

RNH is a safe bet. You know what you get with him. Laine is a big risk. Very unpredictable. As an outsider, i'd love to see Oilers do it still. I think Laine with either Drai or McDavid could be great, but I could see Oilers not wanting to take that risk

 

[The Moose is Loose]

I'm a big believer in Laine, but his value has dropped a lot imo. RNH's value is pretty good. To me this is much closer to a 1vs1 trade than an RNH++.

RNH is a safe bet. You know what you get with him. Laine is a big risk. Very unpredictable. As an outsider, i'd love to see Oilers do it still. I think Laine with either Drai or McDavid could be great, but I could see Oilers not wanting to take that risk

I think he'd be great with Draisaitl. He's the best passer in the league and slows the game down in the offensive zone, I believe Draisaitl would be Laine's ideal center.

But I do understand how much Nugent-Hopkins does, this kind of move would probably hurt the Oilers in the short term but it possibly paying off big would be the motivation for a GM to consider pulling the trigger

 

[Nikishin Go Boom]

Laine isn’t worth RNH ++

 

[The Moose is Loose]

I don't see this trade as very viable. RNH does a lot for the Oilers and while Laine is a much better goal scorer, Nuge is too valuable to trade for him. Having RNH allows Tippett to play Drai and McDavid together. Trading him away means the team no longer has that tool in the toolbox.

Laine is gifted offensively but not the most committed player to both ends of the ice.

The Oilers know what they have in RNH and he is also comfortable playing here. Edmonton is tied for 1st in their division (everyone has games in hand though) and playing decent hockey. I don't think Holland will mess with a good thing.

But the nuclear McDrai option at even strength really isn't used extensively, its usually just for a shift or 2 (following a PK/last 30 seconds of a period/really need a late goal) and its usually followed by the 3rd or 4th line hopping over after. I think even without RNH it'd still be a possible play in Tippett's gamebook

 

[Gordian Knot]

Oilers are scoring at the top of the league.

Laine would be luxury at best.

If anything they need depth on LW (top6) / LD (bottom4) positions or upgrade on Koskinen.

They also need to get rid of Neals contract if ever finding takers

 

[Big Daddy Cane]

If Columbus is willing to make the big commitment to an impending UFA Nugent-Hopkins that would be required, why not gamble on him making it to July 28th, when he'd be available at zero acquisition cost? The Jackets need to expand their core; it's too small as presently constructed.

 

[The Moose is Loose]

If Columbus is willing to make the big commitment to an impending UFA Nugent-Hopkins that would be required, why not gamble on him making it to July 28th, when he'd be available at zero acquisition cost? The Jackets need to expand their core; it's too small as presently constructed.

I don't think either of Laine or RNH would be considered a "core" piece. To me that means McDavid/Draisaitl/Nurse for the Oilers or Werenski/Jones for Columbus, both RNH/Laine are great pieces, but not really someone you build an entire team around.


I think the most probable outcome is the Oilers resign RNH as he is extremely important to the team. But if he somehow does make it to free agency I think it's extremely extremely likely he is signed by the Kraken. Not a single team is going to leave a top 6 center exposed at the expansion draft so they'll be very thin at the position with a metric ton of cap to spend. Even years later the Knights are still light when it comes to center talent (and they were gifted Marchessault on a silver platter), their wingers, defense and goaltending are all amazing but Vegas is proof its very hard to find top 6 centers.

 

[Big Daddy Cane]

I don't think either of Laine or RNH would be considered a "core" piece. To me that means McDavid/Draisaitl/Nurse for the Oilers or Werenski/Jones for Columbus, both RNH/Laine are great pieces, but not really someone you build an entire team around.


I think the most probable outcome is the Oilers resign RNH as he is extremely important to the team. But if he somehow does make it to free agency I think it's extremely extremely likely he is signed by the Kraken. Not a single team is going to leave a top 6 center exposed at the expansion draft so they'll be very thin at the position with a metric ton of cap to spend. Even years later the Knights are still light when it comes to center talent (and they were gifted Marchessault on a silver platter), their wingers, defense and goaltending are all amazing but Vegas is proof its very hard to find top 6 centers.

Forget "core" then. The Jackets need a good center on top of what they have to move forward. Their absolute ceiling is an upset playoff round win or two a la Arizona 2012.

If the Kraken are so attractive to him, which I'm skeptical can be said at this time, that will pose a real problem in the Jackets in getting him to re-sign. A show of desire that a trade would be is only worth so much. Columbus turning Dubois into a rental Nugent-Hopkins and some solid, but unspectacular futures would set that franchise back for a while.

 

[The Moose is Loose]

Forget "core" then. The Jackets need a good center on top of what they have to move forward. Their absolute ceiling is an upset playoff round win or two a la Arizona 2012.

If the Kraken are so attractive to him, which I'm skeptical can be said at this time, that will pose a real problem in the Jackets in getting him to re-sign. A show of desire that a trade would be is only worth so much. Columbus turning Dubois into a rental Nugent-Hopkins and some solid, but unspectacular futures would set that franchise back for a while.

I agree with what you're saying

But I don't think its the Kraken are so attractive to RNH but the other way around, RNH is very attractive to the Kraken and they'd overpay to bring him there (imo), who knows how he feels about starting off a new franchise that very likely won't be as good as the Knights (since GMs got smarter after the last expansion draft).

But my point at bringing the Kraken into this conversation is that Columbus most likely won't be able to simply grab RNH come free agency, the Oilers are going to go hard to get him to resign and if he does hit the free market he'll have a lot of options with some, the Kraken, definitely willing to spend big. Real NHL GMs value the bird in hand whereas Hfboards posters can get lost valuing the 2 in the bush (I'm guilty of this myself), trading for the center is far more of a guarantee than free agency.

 

[Moose and Squirrel]

Laine hasn't been preforming to anyone's expectations in Columbus. Not to his own, the fans or Torterella's. This isn't overly surprising as many Jets fans said a coach like Torts isn't ideal for Laine who needs a lot of leash and as he has warts to his game, even if he is exceptional at shooting.

Columbus' obvious weakness is center and they need a relatively young top 6 center- the only problem with that is, they're never dealt. So looking around the league for teams that can afford to move a center and there aren't many options, but Edmonton would make sense as they have their 2 top 6 center positions locked up and RNH is a pending UFA.

RNH would be a very good fit on Columbus, he has a active motor that translates to solid detail oriented 2-way play that Tortertella expects out of his players and he has good passing abilities to find the Jackets' other shooters like Atkinson and Bjorkstrand.

Edmonton would do this because while it gives them less flexibility in terms of centers, Laine has more high end talent and potential that RNH (who is a good 1st line forward, but isn't elite at anything)

I think Edmonton would have to add, I'd suggest an unprotected 2021 1st and Caleb Jones. Jones is a young bottom pairing guy with 2nd pairing potential, and the added benefit is you're showing you're franchise player Seth Jones that you're doing everything you can to get him to resign there longterm and not walk like Columbus' previous star players. I could even see the Jones brothers being a good pairing, they're both extremely athletic skaters and the handedness would match well, but I understand Columbus has a lot of options at LHD.

RNH + Jones + 1st for Laine

Who says no?
Oilers have some momentum and RNH is a big part of that (PK, PP, and plays wing/center) so I can understand where they are coming from if they're skeptical. The Jackets just traded for Laine so I can comprehend if they want to keep him, but I think adding a top 6 all situations center would be more important for their playoff push. If they tried to move Laine for another center who do you think they could get?

This season:
Laine: 23 games- 9 goals, 7 assists, 16 points
RNH: 34 games- 11 goals, 15 assists, 26 points

Including last 2 seasons:
Laine: 173 games- 67 goals, 62 assists, 129 points
RNH- 181 games- 61 goals, 95 assists, 156 points

aren't RNH and Laine both FA's at the end of the year?
so the last 2 seasons RNH has actually outproduced Laine, can play in a system, is coachable, they're both on the same contract and EDM adds ++?

 

[Big Daddy Cane]

I agree with what you're saying

But I don't think its the Kraken are so attractive to RNH but the other way around, RNH is very attractive to the Kraken and they'd overpay to bring him there (imo), who knows how he feels about starting off a new franchise that very likely won't be as good as the Knights (since GMs got smarter after the last expansion draft).

But my point at bringing the Kraken into this conversation is that Columbus most likely won't be able to simply grab RNH come free agency, the Oilers are going to go hard to get him to resign and if he does hit the free market he'll have a lot of options with some, the Kraken, definitely willing to spend big. Real NHL GMs value the bird in hand whereas Hfboards posters can get lost valuing the 2 in the bush (I'm guilty of this myself), trading for the center is far more of a guarantee than free agency.

But he's really not a bird in hand. He's a UFA in July if he wants to be. The Jackets would have to overpay either way.

 

[Big Daddy Cane]

aren't RNH and Laine both FA's at the end of the year?
so the last 2 seasons RNH has actually outproduced Laine, can play in a system, is coachable, they're both on the same contract and EDM adds ++?

Nugent-Hopkins is a UFA. Laine is an RFA with 2 years of control remaining.

 

[The Moose is Loose]

But he's really not a bird in hand. He's a UFA in July if he wants to be. The Jackets would have to overpay either way.

While he’s under contract he’s a “bird in hand”. There is time for the GM to build a relationship and convince RNH he’s a good fit for the team rather than just submitting an numbers based offer like every other team

 

[LTIR]

Laine isn’t worth RNH ++

There a huge difference in value between a pending UFA RNH and extended RNH.
It depends on what we r talking about.

 

[Moose and Squirrel]

Nugent-Hopkins is a UFA. Laine is an RFA with 2 years of control remaining.

ah..thx for the clarification!

 

[LTIR]

I don't think either of Laine or RNH would be considered a "core" piece. To me that means McDavid/Draisaitl/Nurse for the Oilers or Werenski/Jones for Columbus, both RNH/Laine are great pieces, but not really someone you build an entire team around.


I think the most probable outcome is the Oilers resign RNH as he is extremely important to the team. But if he somehow does make it to free agency I think it's extremely extremely likely he is signed by the Kraken. Not a single team is going to leave a top 6 center exposed at the expansion draft so they'll be very thin at the position with a metric ton of cap to spend. Even years later the Knights are still light when it comes to center talent (and they were gifted Marchessault on a silver platter), their wingers, defense and goaltending are all amazing but Vegas is proof its very hard to find top 6 centers.

Both Laine and RNH(extended) would easily be considered core pieces .

 

[Big Daddy Cane]

While he’s under contract he’s a “bird in hand”. There is time for the GM to build a relationship and convince RNH he’s a good fit for the team rather than just submitting an numbers based offer like every other team

How much that’s actually worth is a question mark. It ultimately didn’t mean a thing when it came to Duchene, just recently.

 

[Fatass]

RNH is a coming UFA, so isn’t his value asa rental?

 

[The Moose is Loose]

How much that’s actually worth is a question mark. It ultimately didn’t mean a thing when it came to Duchene, just recently.

fair

 

[The Moose is Loose]

RNH is a coming UFA, so isn’t his value asa rental?

Yeah you could look at it that way, but I doubt Columbus' Gm would

But even if it is as a rental he could definitely fetch a 1st + 2nd and maybe even more as he is the only top 6 center I see that could be moved. So would many currently value Laine higher than 2 1st round picks, a 2nd, and a good but not great young defenseman?

 

[Fatass]

Both Laine and RNH(extended) would easily be considered core pieces .

I guess it depends on one’s definition of core. Laine is a top line scoring winger. That’s a core piece. What role does RNH fill as a core piece?

 

[GreatSaveEssensa]

aren't RNH and Laine both FA's at the end of the year?
so the last 2 seasons RNH has actually outproduced Laine, can play in a system, is coachable, they're both on the same contract and EDM adds ++?

RNH is a UFA Laine is an RFA. Big difference.

 

[Byrral]

RNH would be a good add for the CBJ but not giving up assets for him especially not Laine for an UFA. Make him an offer as an UFA after the season instead.