Are the Blue Jackets at a Crossroads with Patrik Laine?
The Blue Jackets are in the national media spotlight in Canada, which only happens for one of two reasons. Unfortunately, that reason right now is that the team is making headlines in a bad way. By scratching star forward Patrik Laine on Sunday night, are the Blue Jackets at a crossroads with the big Finn?
Camping in Ohio does exist, believe it or not. As surprising as that may be to people from outside of the area; we like our wilderness time, out in the trees, away from the hustle and bustle of the big cities. We like our campfires too. But if there’s one thing I’ll always remember about camping in Ohio, it’s that it isn’t flashy. We like cozy, quiet campfires here. As it goes, where there’s fire, there is bound to be smoke. Smoke does occasionally get attention.
The Blue Jackets, right now, don’t have a nice, cozy campfire going. There is no roasting of the proverbial smores in Central Ohio. The Blue Jackets, at this moment, are a firework factory that has seen their fuse burn out. The smoke pouring out of Columbus points to a roaring inferno of potential change – one that Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek threw the entire gas station onto with their 32 Thoughts Podcast on Monday.
That may seem like an extreme descriptor. Maybe it is. But, as a loyal listener to their twice-weekly podcast, one thing that I’ve learned over the years is that these guys never say anything by mistake. They have a self-deprecating humor that keeps things light – but make no mistake, they don’t gloss over their discussions lightheartedly or say things they don’t mean. Elliotte has his finger on the NHL’s pulse in a big way. Arguably, better than anyone else in the business. So, when he speaks his mind about how he feels things are heading for the Blue Jackets, the words he chooses are not to be taken for granted. He means what he says.
They kicked off their weekly headlines by talking about our beloved Columbus Blue Jackets. Normally, this is very exciting because we could get the inside scoop from someone who isn’t in tight with the organization, or a normal reporter. But I knew this wouldn’t be talking about the CBJ in a fun way. They stink. So, I paid close attention to what the guys said, trying to glean any information that I could, from behind the words. And I did catch a hidden message here. The important phrasing that caught my attention on Monday:
Elliotte Friedman: (Columbus) has been looking for a center for a while. I was making a few calls on Sunday and I think they’ve really stepped it up. I think they’re trying really hard to find a center. You can see that this is an organization really coming to a crossroads.
Now, you might read this and think that there’s nothing new here. We all know they’ve been looking for a center, that’s no secret. But, to the contrary, I’m reading a lot more into this. I think this could be a franchise-altering type of deal in the works… one that might again split the fanbase.
In the cap-strapped world, teams are hardly able to make any moves without offsetting money. And, as you all know, to get good players, you have to give up good players.
With the two key points above in the back of my mind, I listened further to the podcast. The main topic of debate, when they were on this subject: Blue Jacket winger Patrik Laine. Laine was made a healthy scratch on Sunday night, after a brutal performance Saturday in Washington – including a turnover that led to the eventual game-winning goal.
Great play on the forecheck. Nice to dangle. Then shoo...uh, or do that.
— Union and Blue (@UnionAndBlue) November 19, 2023
If your best players make plays like this, well, 8 in a row isn't out of reach. #CBJpic.twitter.com/J0G2nJ9uR8
The healthy scratch didn’t really come as a huge surprise to me. I mean, it did, because it’s Patrik Laine. But, it also did not, because you could visibly see how upset head coach Pascal Vincent was after Saturday night’s game. He had to hold back on his words, and the look on his face told me that he was unhappy with one player in particular. Without saying it, he told us that Laine was in his crosshairs.
Taking all of the facts into hand, let’s summarize. The Jackets are looking to improve their lineup by adding a strong center. Teams are pressed right up against the cap, so money has to go both ways. And, you aren’t trading some package including Eric Robinson, Emil Bemstrom, and Andrew Peeke for anything meaningful.
With all of that in mind: is Patrik Laine the trade chip this team is pushing in for a center?
Friedman certainly talks about this team coming to a crossroads, and I wonder if that crossroads isn’t at the management level, as some might have assumed he implied? I wonder if that crossroads is, in fact, with Laine, who has shown stretches of brilliance here – followed up by longer stretches of inconsistent play.
Bear with me for a second, because this might hurt: when Laine is having success, does the team really seem to have much success? What I mean by that isn’t that Patty is hurting the team, or that things can’t work here (though, lets be honest, it has not worked yet). More so, what I mean here is that when he’s been in the lineup, or out of the lineup, have we really noticed all that much of a difference in the team’s overall play?
It’s hard to say. One thing I’m sure of: Patrik Laine is one of the elite goal scoring wingers on this planet. In that regard, I do think the Jackets need to either find a way to get him to the top of that game, where he can be a productive goal scorer – key note: on the wing – or, they need to cut ties with him and allow him to thrive somewhere else. There are teams out there that have depth down the middle, but have a lack of a true scoring threat on the wing. Without running through all of them, just at a glance, I could see where deals could be centered around these pieces.
Maybe I’m reading too much into the podcast. Or, maybe not. Maybe the Blue Jackets are looking to restructure their team’s future, without Patrik Laine involved. Maybe this was Elliotte’s way of preparing us, and the rest of the league, for that future. Time will tell.
Next. Blue Jackets Place Damon Severson on IR. dark