Laine relegated to the 4th line

[serp]

I would entertain trading him, as much as CBJ needs Laine's potential. That is, if they dont fire Torts which they will.

His value must be at an alltime low. You don't want make a deal in that situation unless you have no choice.

Also Torts contract ends when the season is over . No need to fire him just don't re-sign him.

 

[Raym11]

Why can Laine sometimes skate really fast and look unstoppable, but most of the time not?

This makes no sense. It is a true case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

He pretty much has to have mental issues to be capable of top tier nhl feats, but almost never even make the effort. He needs a counselor.

The guy became addicted to Fortnite in the middle of generational talks.

 

[Kriswin]

I would like to remind you to re-check the CBJ contract list.

CBJ is being run like a hedge fund by Kekäläinen and Laine is a RFA. Nobody gets paid, and neither will Laine. He will get offered like 4-5M$ and he has no option but to take it.

Sorry to burst your bubble but Columbus has to decide between qualifying him, meaning minimum 7.5M number on his contract, or letting him walk as a UFA on July 1.

 

[WaitingForThatCab]

Florida could sign Laine just to keep his BFF Barkov there. Laine is a headcase and playing in Florida on a first line with Barkov might be the best choice for him.

I've thought about this, and in any other situation I'd not want Laine (on the kind of contract he's going to get) on my team. But with Quenneville in charge and Barkov there to nudge him in the right direction? I think that's probably the best case scenario for him getting his act in gear.

 

[kylbaz]

and it only took him getting to play with the best player in the world to do so!

Pulj is terrible. Essentially a fourth line checker playing with McDavid. The average overweight HFer could score on that line.

 

[Lowrider]

Did Heatly not play on Canada in the Olympics a few times? He was not a bust. Far from it actually lol

Exactly that. He was a damn fine player. 791 points in 869 games isn't too shabby.

 

[Pyrophorus]

Will take him in a heartbeat in MTL, don't mind that 7.5m price tag. He's just stuck playing with the worst forward core in the entire NHL and he's a guy that needs to play with talent. Can't shine on that terrible team. He's a 40 goal guy

How does Montreal aid him?

 

[NickyFotiu]

Torts put Gaborik, Zuccarello, Richards and others on the 4th line so Laine is not the first. I would not be shocked if he scores 30 next season.

 

[Captain Creampuff]

Seems just like yesterday he was being hailed the savior of the Winnipeg Jets

 

[rielledup]

I think most posters and fans who follow the game extremely closely, saw and continue to see Laine as a one trick pony. He’s got a helluva shot. Not the smartest player, not a guy who’s going to give 100% effort every shift or every game, and not a guy who drives a line. You look at Taylor Hall for example, a guy who was expected to be a line driver, a guy who was the go to on offence for some teams. Didn’t work. He’s a good fit in Boston because he doesn’t have to be the man on offence. He fits in nicely to a second line. I see the same thing with Laine. Put him on a deep team on a second line and he should do well. Problem is that he wants first line money and will thin out a team’s depth. He just isn’t good enough. Not a shocker.

Huh? Hall had two seasons in a row early in his career where he was top 10 in points in the league driving his line. Then he hurt his shoulder and wasn't the same until his hart trophy season is NJ where he drove all the offense himself and then the next season he got hurt but was again on pace for over 90 pts driving the offense himself.

 

[Chips]

Sorry to burst your bubble but Columbus has to decide between qualifying him, meaning minimum 7.5M number on his contract, or letting him walk as a UFA on July 1.

Can’t they technically trade his RFA rights if a team is willing to qualify him? That’s at least something

 

[Legion34]

I remember saying laine could be like heatley. It was like I flew to Finland and kicked every single poster’s dog.

turns out that was an insult to heatley

 

[RustyCat]

I feel like it is important to note that Laine got lined up with Dalpe and Gerbe. Now people can say what they want, but there are two players who continue to be resilient and fight for their place in the league. That kind of mentality and focus can very easily rub off on people, especially since the common narrative about Laine is him lacking effort or passion. Put him with a couple players who see their careers differently, meaning more fragile, and Torts might get what he is looking for.

 

[3074326]

One day, Laine will have a coach that plays to his strengths and not his weaknesses. Just hope the Jackets are smart enough to hire the right guy.

 

[William Hylander]

He goes to Montreal for Kotkaniemi and habs fans will be laughing at the deal for 20 years.