Player Discussion: Patrik Laine

[PhilJets]

Coaches at the NHL level generally don't deploy players based on "potential alone." They wouldn't last very long if they did. I find the amount of ice time Laine gets to be a bit low but there's a few things working against him:

* Maurice is not going to break-up the Scheifele, Wheeler, Connor line. That line has chemistry, is extremely productive, and is trusted
* Laine doesn't play in all situations
* Laine isn't the "driver" on his current line which means that as his center goes he goes (when not on the PP)

Seems like the most likely solution is Maurice tries someone else on Laine's line that isn't on the #1 line.

They actually do play players with great potential though.
Thats why we see Dahlin Patterson etc now....
I also said generational scorer. These type of players are rare.

I also knwo CSW will not be broken unless injuries happen.
I gave that up last November.
But you can still vent your frustration here once in awhile. Its all fun...

Not many young wingers can be a driver at this age. They have different responsiblities than centers. The best is to put him with the best compatible player.

But as we know right now , that is zero chance.
We already had one player here , who publicly pointed that his usage was not what he wanted.
That will be bad for Jets management if another young player comes forward.
But looks like Laine is not that type so we are lucky.

 

[Howard Chuck]

I've missed last two games. How's Laine performed. Is low TOI warranted?

I didn't think it was thay big a deal last season but guys like Ehlers and Laine will want more than 15-16 minutes per game. They might have been willing to 'pay their dues' but the time has come. If Maurice plays Laine and Ehlers 15-16 minutes for the entire season again I fear how they will react.

I thought Laine looked very good the first two games, quick and tenacious. I thought he looked slow and demoralized last night. He was trying to do everything himself when he finally got an opportunity. Ehlers is much the same IMO, had a couple of chances and tried to go it alone as well.

I chalk it up to sitting on the bench and coming in cold each shift. It's very difficult to get into a game when sitting so long.

This is Ehlers' 4th year and Laine's 3rd year, I think they have done what was asked of them. I'll take some flack for this, but I also wonder what's going to happen when we try to sign Laine. He says all the right things (although he hinted last year that it's hard to get into a game with that amount of ice time), but he's a very talented and ambitious player and I think he wants to play more than he wants to get paid.

The jets are winning and that's the most important thing to me, but I'm a Laine fan as well and I'd hate to see him check out mentally while here or bridge out, because of his usage.

It can only benefit the Jets as a team, to put him into a position to succeed. We will win more games with more goals. Last night was a good example of not being able to score and we were very close to going into overtime after dominating the game.

 

[Ducky10]

So Laine's line should have played more against Kopitar's and Carter's last night? In a one goal game? I don't think that would have worked out the way some people think it might have. Those aren't the matchups Maurice wants that line to have, especially at home. He got them on the ice against who he wanted, they just didn't produce.

The TOI for CLT isn't always going to look like that. That's the matchup Maurice chose, it worked.

 

[Howard Chuck]

So Laine's line should have played more against Kopitar's and Carter's last night? In a one goal game? I don't think that would have worked out the way some people think it might have. Those aren't the matchups Maurice wants that line to have, especially at home. He got them on the ice against who he wanted, they just didn't produce.

The TOI for CLT isn't always going to look like that. That's the matchup Maurice chose, it worked.

If you’re responding to me, I’m speaking generally. We’ve turned into a one O and one D line team beginning some time last year. I had high hopes for the team as a whole this year as we seem to have so much talent and depth. Maybe there is a method to Maurice’s decisions and it will work out yet! As a fan I just want wins, my post above was just a worry about a couple of our high end youngsters and how to get them going.

 

[JetsWillFly4Ever]

Laine needs a different line combination. ELL has proven to not work and we are just banging our heads against the wall. He also needs more minutes, he is an elite goalscorer, and he is not bad defensively. He is someone that the coach needs to make an effort to get going.

That said, he was horrible last night and he has his deficiencies. He is brutal on board battles and loose pucks, not good on the cycle, lacks speed and especially quickness. He is far from a complete player.

 

[Lowered Expectations]

That said, he was horrible last night and he has his deficiencies. He is brutal on board battles and loose pucks, not good on the cycle, lacks speed and especially quickness. He is far from a complete player.

How many active 40 plus goal scorers in NHL are ”complete players”? Should he really be one? You should NOT try to turn 40 goal scorer into jack of all trades. You should unleash His potential and embrace it for what he is.

 

[JetsWillFly4Ever]

How many active 40 plus goal scorers in NHL are ”complete players”? Should he really be one? You should NOT try to turn 40 goal scorer into jack of all trades. You should unleash His potential and embrace it for what he is.

I don't want him to be a jack of all trades, I want him to win a puck battle once in a while and not turn it over so much, get quicker on his feet. This is all stuff that is doable and doesn't limit his offensive upside.

Yes he should be utilized as an offensive weapon, but that doesn't mean he should just stop trying to get better at other parts of the game.

 

[Lowered Expectations]

I think it has been shown here with ”fancy stats” that he is ok defensively. Just let him do his job.

 

[GNP]

Laine needs a different line combination. ELL has proven to not work and we are just banging our heads against the wall. He also needs more minutes, he is an elite goalscorer, and he is not bad defensively. He is someone that the coach needs to make an effort to get going.

That said, he was horrible last night and he has his deficiencies. He is brutal on board battles and loose pucks, not good on the cycle, lacks speed and especially quickness. He is far from a complete player.

________________________________________________________

Very much agree with this post. At this time Laine is pretty much a "one dimensional" player. He's really a pue goal scorer, but may develop into something better. He needs somebody to feed him because he can't drive the play for himself, or make strong offensive zone entries. Let us remember though that Scheiffle didn't look that good either for his first 2-3 years, but developed his game. I hope Laine can do the same.

Laine often bobbles the puck, and loses possession and is not good at winning board battles. He needs a guy on his line that can do this, and feed him the puck. Wheeler would be good for that. Laine is also slow, but his speed is improving with his weight loss.

As true as this is-he scored 44 goals as a 19 year old--so he's a valuable "one dimensional player". I think he can add more dimension to his game, and I hope he does. If he can add a little more speed, and concentrate on puck possession, and setting up some plays, we'd have a more well rounded player.

I just made a post about this -- How to Fix Our 2nd Line Problems. The answer would be to add Wheeler to it--he's good center, and great playmaker. Also, Roslo may be the answer - he has the speed, however Wheeler would bring leadership and experience -- I'd try plugging in Wheeler there.

 

[LowLefty]

I think it has been shown here with ”fancy stats” that he is ok defensively. Just let him do his job.

I don't think the point is "defense" -
This is more about puck possession in the O zone - the number 1 controls the play very well in the offensive zone and because of their skill levels, possession will lead to goals scored.
Line 2 issues revolve around possession - they don't set up well in the O zone and tend to turn it over - usually via an attempted rush.
Puck possession is a huge part of hockey - it's not like you can ignore it because you do other things well.
Most of the best top lines are also excellent possession lines that will having you running around in your own end until they either score or draw a penalty.

 

[Jack722]

I don't want him to be a jack of all trades, I want him to win a puck battle once in a while and not turn it over so much, get quicker on his feet. This is all stuff that is doable and doesn't limit his offensive upside.

Yes he should be utilized as an offensive weapon, but that doesn't mean he should just stop trying to get better at other parts of the game.

Best way to have him get better is to give him icetime on a functional line. IMO.

 

[Howard Chuck]

I would just like to point out that I wouldn't even be in this thread if it were about another talented rookie. But we are talking about a kid who broke most records in the past 2 years and challenged for the Rocket last year with less TOI than anyone who challenged.

To me, it's all about optimization of an asset that has the potential to win games for us, like the stretch he went on last year where he scored almost all of our goals. The jets final 114 points would have been quite a bit lower if not for those goals.

It's just about optimization. The first line isn't going anywhere, and if we can't make something work with what we have, then we have lots of trade bait.

 

[Ares]

He ain't going to get better defensively sitting on the bench all night.

 

[behemolari]

I don't want him to be a jack of all trades, I want him to win a puck battle once in a while and not turn it over so much, get quicker on his feet. This is all stuff that is doable and doesn't limit his offensive upside.

Yes he should be utilized as an offensive weapon, but that doesn't mean he should just stop trying to get better at other parts of the game.

you are correct, but also he is simply used wrong. most of his weaknesses shows up because of that.

 

[Tommigun]

The TOI for CLT isn't always going to look like that. That's the matchup Maurice chose, it worked.

The TOI distribution has been almost identical in the first three games. Let’s not act like it was a one game thing.

 

[PhilJets]

https://thehockeywriters.com/winnipeg-jets-find-patrik-laine-center/

 

[Adam da bomb]

Can we offer this non-scoring version of Laine 8mil and rush to get a deal before he can get his mojo back?

 

[PhilJets]

Why fans love Patrik Laine across the hockey world.

Besides playing hockey

https://www.bardown.com/patrik-lain...of-greased-lightning-musical-number-1.1189408

 

[PhilJets]

Can we offer this non-scoring version of Laine 8mil and rush to get a deal before he can get his mojo back?

He'll probably sign it for 4 years.

 

[Adam da bomb]

He'll probably sign it for 4 years.

Cool. Well if he's not scoring who wants him more than 4 years.

 

[PhilJets]

Cool. Well if he's not scoring who wants him more than 4 years.

Then Jets are *##^ paying someone 8M who is not scoring..

Right?

 

[Ducky10]

The TOI distribution has been almost identical in the first three games. Let’s not act like it was a one game thing.

Lol....ok 3 games.....you win. .

 

[Neuf]

https://thehockeywriters.com/winnipeg-jets-find-patrik-laine-center/

I would have like to see that in preseason.

 

[Crazy Monkey]

Why fans love Patrik Laine across the hockey world.

Besides playing hockey

https://www.bardown.com/patrik-lain...of-greased-lightning-musical-number-1.1189408

Laine is awesome

This video was a real fail/flop though (liked his first one better). The guy's obsession with the Leafs is also weird. His attempt to taunt Leaf fans comes across as pathetic. Props to you guys for having the common sense not to post it on the main board

Looking forward to the Leafs-Jets back to back in a few weeks. Should be a beauty!

 

[Afterburner]