Patrik Laine is going to blow the roof off NWA & Hockey in Ohio

[Vapaatunnus]

Well, watch him play, it’s very slow and he turns the puck over on the blue line trying to stick handle often. But I get you’re Finnish, so he’s perfect for you.

Example: last game, on the power play, Jones leaves it to Laine who speeds up and tries to cross the blue line, stick handles and loses it to a poke check with the puck leaving the zone. That’s not just him having this issue though.

Problem is that no one else in a team can do it either. Dump and chase on PP is not a good idea so some one must bring puck up.

 

[Henri M]

Well, watch him play, it’s very slow and he turns the puck over on the blue line trying to stick handle often. But I get you’re Finnish, so he’s perfect for you.

Example: last game, on the power play, Jones leaves it to Laine who speeds up and tries to cross the blue line, stick handles and loses it to a poke check with the puck leaving the zone. That’s not just him having this issue though.

I have watched him play. To me he seems good in tight spots and makes often a move or two in order to make a hard pass or keep a play alive. He is better than most guys on the team when it comes to entering the zone with the puck (as is evident from that graph). Him being checked off the puck a few times does not make his stick handling "atrocious". Also, I'm Norwegian. So you are wrong on all accounts.

 

[VT]

That has not much to do with how good Artemi Panarin was, he made everyone better. Including Dubois.

Laine truly has no one other than Bjorkstrand that is even close to his skill level among our forwards.

Werenski, Jones and Dubois played good without Panarin too. Look at the last season, Werenski had even 20 goals.
Columbus Blue Jackets at eliteprospects.com

 

[VT]

It doesn’t matter who plays center for Panarin, he will produce regardless

I don't say he wouldn't be but that his production with Roslovic with his face-offs under 40% (33,51) and play on the center (Jack played on the wing long time) would be not so good. Plus again Jones and Werenski support offense better (and they did it without Panarin too).

Plus Torts wants to change Patrik's play

 

[KJ Dangler]

 

[Vapaatunnus]

I don't say he wouldn't be but that his production with Roslovic with his face-offs under 40% (33,51) and play on the center (Jack played on the wing long time) would be not so good. Plus again Jones and Werenski support offense better (and they did it without Panarin too).

Plus Torts wants to change Patrik's play

Yes big problem is winning faceoffs, you can't create offense if you don't have a puck.

 

[VT]

Yes big problem is winning faceoffs, you can't create offense if you don't have a puck.

Yes, plus, as already mentioned, Roslovic hasn't quite good skills center. Of course, this is temporary, but it's one od the reason not ideal play in the central zone.

 

[Monk]

Am I crazy or does Laine give the puck away every time he tries to possess it for more than 2 seconds?

 

[Vapaatunnus]

Am I crazy or does Laine give the puck away every time he tries to possess it for more than 2 seconds?

Yes usually he tries to enter the zone with a puck alone and that happens. It seems to be that he hasn't learned CBJ style to just dump the puck to end of zone immediately after red line.

 

[Monk]

Yes usually he tries to enter the zone with a puck alone and that happens. It seems to be that he hasn't learned CBJ style to just dump the puck to end of zone immediately after red line.

So he's a decent possession player and the Jackets just suck... that doesn't strike me as unreasonable I guess.

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

So he's a decent possession player and the Jackets just suck... that doesn't strike me as unreasonable I guess.

Right and when he looks good it's because he's awesome and when he looks bad it's the team's fault.

Note: This works for just about anything you might want to apply it to.

 

[VT]

So he's a decent possession player and the Jackets just suck... that doesn't strike me as unreasonable I guess.

IMHO his problem was untreated injury of hand. Plus and it`s very important, he often put a puck when he was without speed. Again, Jack loves to play with a puck so wingers must wade in blue line . Although IMHO if he isn`t so speed, good acceleration he should be permanently in motion. I hope it would be better and better.

 

[VT]

When I read comments, I feel that Laine is an average player and it would be good to change him as soon as possible until others still think he`s a star.

 

[Monk]

Right and when he looks good it's because he's awesome and when he looks bad it's the team's fault.

Note: This works for just about anything you might want to apply it to.

I just think it's interesting - Columbus Jack seems to be able to carry the puck into the offensive zone, stick handle a bit, wait for reinforcements, get a pass to a teammate.

Now I will say I've seen Laine make some good passes on the rush, but again, that's when he has the puck very briefly.

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

I just think it's interesting - Columbus Jack seems to be able to carry the puck into the offensive zone, stick handle a bit, wait for reinforcements, get a pass to a teammate.

Now I will say I've seen Laine make some good passes on the rush, but again, that's when he has the puck very briefly.

Laine has shown some really nice vision with this passing but only a teensy bit of stickhandling panache.

 

[koteka]

Panarin played with Dubois who is a classical center with very good face-off, Laine with Roslovic who played on the wing long time and his face-off is under 40%. Plus Werenski and Jones played better than now.

Dubois was not good on face offs. A lot of us wanted him to spend more time working on face offs. Dubinsky, Duchene, Wennberg, Jenner, and Foligno were all much better at face offs than Dubois.

Pierre-Luc Dubois Stats | Hockey-Reference.com

 

[CBJWerenski8]

Well, watch him play, it’s very slow and he turns the puck over on the blue line trying to stick handle often. But I get you’re Finnish, so he’s perfect for you.

Example: last game, on the power play, Jones leaves it to Laine who speeds up and tries to cross the blue line, stick handles and loses it to a poke check with the puck leaving the zone. That’s not just him having this issue though.

Stick handling isn’t just about Deking through all 5 players like on NHL 21. It’s about maneuvering the puck into space to get free of a check and make a play either by passing or protecting it. He doesn’t have to be Zherdev. His issue isn’t his stick handling, he can do it, his issue is his feet. He needs to get going and go into the zone with speed so he can use his handles to make plays. When he stick handles he’s usually doing it in a stationary way or not with much speed, and I don’t care if it’s McDavid, nobody is getting around an NHL defender stick handling at that speed. That’s his fault, but it’s not like he can’t do it correctly.

 

[VT]

Dubois was not good on face offs. A lot of us wanted him to spend more time working on face offs. Dubinsky, Duchene, Wennberg, Jenner, and Foligno were all much better at face offs than Dubois.

Pierre-Luc Dubois Stats | Hockey-Reference.com

33,51% Roslovic against 44,6%/48,9% Dubois (when Panarin played with him)

 

[Vapaatunnus]

So he's a decent possession player and the Jackets just suck... that doesn't strike me as unreasonable I guess.

And Jackets as a team hasn't sucked now? I watched whole 90's when Finnish national team basically played that dump and chase, it requires that after dump you have guys there to get that puck. Now it is not happening. So whole team should get their s**t together now.

 

[Monk]

And Jackets as a team hasn't sucked now? I watched whole 90's when Finnish national team basically played that dump and chase, it requires that after dump you have guys there to get that puck. Now it is not happening. So whole team should get their s**t together now.

There's a double negative there, I was saying that it's a reasonable position to take. Especially given that I haven't watched Laine play for any team other than the Jackets.

Doesn't necessarily mean I agree.

 

[DarkandStormy]

Yes big problem is winning faceoffs, you can't create offense if you don't have a puck.

Do Faceoffs Really Make A Difference?

In the end, it appears that success in the faceoff circle doesn’t really correlate to success on the scoreboard—not for the 2018/19 Canucks, and not for any other NHL team, either. While winning a big faceoff at a key moment can certainly change the game, such an event is relatively rare, and the vast majority of faceoffs just don’t matter all that much in the grand scheme of things. Faceoffs can be important on a situation-by-situation basis, but their overall impact on the game appears to be highly overrated.

Searching for a link between winning faceoffs and NHL games

Since the start of the 2014 season, there have been 580 instances of teams going 60 percent or better on draws, resulting in 295 victories, or 50.86 percent.

DO FACEOFFS MATTER IN HOCKEY? – Five Hole Analytics

As seen above, no faceoff success in any situation has a clear relationship with one’s winning percentage. Faceoffs are no indication of overall success in the NHL and shouldn’t be treated as one.

 

[VT]

Do Faceoffs Really Make A Difference?



Searching for a link between winning faceoffs and NHL games



DO FACEOFFS MATTER IN HOCKEY? – Five Hole Analytics

It`s very nice, but if our 1th center has FO 33,33% in offensive zone and 33,9% in all, it`s a problem. Especially if your opponent has very good passing from its zone and teams in our division have it. Probably one from a reason to play Foligno with Laine and Bjorkstrand and the line Jenner-Texier-Laine had their FO%.

Columbus Blue jackets - Face-off stats

Besides, players are on the wane conditions if they have regular to play forchecking.

 

[Monstershockey]

I am not a fan of who wins or loses the actual face-off, but what happens directly after. If you win a face-off and the other team is able to flip possession before you can make an offensive play, a shot or a zone clear, than it doesn't matter that you won it. Same goes if you lose the face-off. If you lose it, but are able to flip possession and create a chance, or clear your own zone before the other team can do anything, than it is as good as a win. What happens directly after the face-off is more important to me.

 

[6zag]

I don't say he wouldn't be but that his production with Roslovic with his face-offs under 40% (33,51) and play on the center (Jack played on the wing long time) would be not so good. Plus again Jones and Werenski support offense better (and they did it without Panarin too).

Plus Torts wants to change Patrik's play

Not really on topic but anyway;

He's over PPG this year and had his career year with Ryan Strome as his center whose FO% is around 40% mate. And that's probably one of his better qualities (lol). He would do just as well with Roslovic as his center or any player you can name whatsoever for that matter.

 

[Columbus Jack]

Expecting someone to carry you isnt a recipe for winning.

Laine is clearly not at the elite level of players such as the Crosbys, Matthews, Mackinnon, mcdavid, Panarin, etc. And that’s fine. I do think he has the ability to get near this tier of player. He is only 22/23 years old.

I think people are expecting/wanting a Panarin style player. And I get it. He made everyone better and drove play like no other player we’ve had. But trying to make Laine that style of player is just asking for disappointment.

I think it’s better to look at Laine in the same eyes we looked at Nash with. He’s a star player, an all star with elite level qualities, but he doesn’t necessarily make others better and needs others around him in order to maximize his value. I think he’s a better robin than Batman. And that’s okay. We didn’t even have an Alfred before he got here.

I think people are pretty down on Laine and I get it because the team sucks and he’s not been “elite”. But I do think he’s going to be a stud here. And I think he’s going to sign here.

I'm not saying Laine is going/am I expecting him to be a player who carries us. I envision him just like Nash but if there's no talent to support him don't expect him to want to stick around. Definitely not down on Laine either, he's the least of our problems, I'm down on the rest of the "talent" he's surrounded with.