A Columbus Blue Jackets divorce from Patrik Laine is a much needed step for both sides
Reports on Wednesday night say that Patrik Laine and the Columbus Blue Jackets have agreed to a separation.
The relationship between Patrik Laine and the Columbus Blue Jackets seems to be nearing its inevitable end. TSN's Pierre Lebrun spoke about the situation on their Insider Trading segment Wednesday night.
It's not all that surprising, really. Considering all that's happened with the Blue Jackets since acquiring Laine in January of 2021, it was only a matter of time. Let's go back in time for a minute and look at how this relationship started - and where it went wrong.
Laine was seeking a fresh start away from the Winnipeg Jets organization at that point. Pierre-Luc Dubois, coincidentally, was seeking the same thing from the Blue Jackets. The teams came together in a deal that made sense for all involved. Well, it seemed like it made sense at the time.
Brushing past what happened with Dubois in Winnipeg (it wasn't perfect either), Laine and the Blue Jackets seemed like a match made in heaven.
Laine was a cast-away with the Jets, a former #2 overall pick who had shown flashes of immense potential. Potential that was yet to be filled at that point.
The Blue Jackets, still reeling from the loss of nearly every meaningful talent from their flash in the pan run of success through the late 2010s; were elated to acquire a player with a superstar aura around him. Put simply, Laine is the kind of player that can put butts in seats - and, subsequently, bring those butts out of their seats.
What wasn't to love? At 6'5" and 215 pounds, Laine came to Columbus as one of the premier snipers in all of hockey. To that point in his career, he'd scored 139 goals in 306 games. And, he was still just 23 years old.
At the time, we felt like Patrik could be the player who turned our fortunes around. He would fill the void of the superstar winger that we came to love so much with Artemi Panarin.
The problem: Laine isn't Panarin. He doesn't drive play like that. But, he is the kind of player that can seemingly score goals at will, provided he's used correctly and has the proper support...
Uh-oh...
Now that we've touched on it, let's dig a little deeper into what went wrong with Patrik and the Blue Jackets, on the next slide.
Patrik Laine came to Columbus hopeful for a fresh start. He got it. Unfortunately, this team wasn't anywhere near ready for him.
To get the most out of a 6'5" sniper like Laine, you need to surround him with good players. Ideally, players who can retrieve pucks, buy him time and space, then make passes to him so he can fire off his violent one-timer.
In four seasons in Columbus, we never got a chance to see Patrik Laine play meaningful minutes with a skilled center. At least, not one capable enough of providing him with everything that he needed.
We have Adam Fantilli now, and in time, that's exactly the kind of player you want to play with #29. The problem is, it's just too late. And, for some reason, when they were put on the same line, the Jackets wanted to force Laine in as the center, and use Fantilli on the wing.
Make it make sense.
Even without the required talent around him, Laine found a way to settle in nicely with the Blue Jackets. His first season in Columbus (the COVID-shortened 2021 season) saw him play for John Tortorella. I think we all knew John's time in Ohio was coming to an end after that season; but still, he tried to mold Laine into a better two-way player. The results were mixed.
In his first full season with the Jackets, Laine played under a much different coach: Brad Larsen. Lars was beloved by his players, if not entirely respected - but his approach seemed to be the correct one at the time. The Jackets surprised a lot of people that year by finishing right around .500, competing right to the end.
Laine was a big part of that. He scored 26 goals and 56 points in 56 games, playing like the superstar we hoped we were getting; in spite of missing significant time due to injuries. Then, that next summer changed everything. For both Laine and the Blue Jackets.
How did Johnny Gaudreau's signing affect Patrik Laine? Well, not like we expected...
The Blue Jackets shocked the world by picking up Johnny Gaudreau in free agency. He seemed like just the guy to help Laine reach higher potential.
Gaudreau isn't the kind of guy to go in and retrieve pucks (we talked about that just yesterday). But, he's one of the game's most elite playmakers. Surely, he would help get more out of a shooter like Laine, right? Well...
The Jackets felt so confident about this combination, that they dealt away beloved fan favorite Oliver Bjorkstrand, for pennies on the dollar to free up cap space. It seemed to make sense at the time. Laine and Gaudreau were going to be our own version of Teemu Selanne and Paul Kariya. At least, that's how it seemed.
It just never worked. For whatever reason, Gaudreau and Laine could not develop any chemistry. Not at even strength. Not with the extra man.
Worse, Gaudreau's arrival changed the competition window for this franchise. Gone was the long-term "reload" (rebuild). In was our GM saying we needed to push harder and compete for a playoff spot soon.
Patrik Laine buries Adam Fantilli's beautiful spinning return feed for a fantastic goal!#CBJ pic.twitter.com/QGscvnX4BF
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) November 23, 2023
This new set of expectations caused them to yearn for even more out of their big sniper. Laine was force-fed minutes at center, which showed promise at first; but never truly worked. Then, they continued to try to force him into that role for far too long, ultimately leading to a healthy scratch.
Looking back upon this all, that healthy scratch may have been the turning point for this player and this team. Repeated injuries sure didn't help either. In the end, the relationship between team and player has soured to the point that both sides have agreed to move on.
When it's all said and done, after signing Gaudreau and through two full seasons, the Jackets got just 83 games out of big #29 - with only 28 goals, 33 assists, and a -22 rating.
We see the writing on the wall here. I'm not bragging when I say this, but it seemed like this was the case months ago. It's just public now. So, let's take a look at Patrik's value, and what the Blue Jackets might do to appease him.
Any trade involving Patrik Laine is going to be hard to win. He'll be the best player in the deal, but they will be selling low at this point.
There are a few directions the Jackets can go with a Patrik Laine trade. First up, the most obvious one: the "cap dump" trade.
They could simply deal Laine away to the highest bidder that offers them a combination of depth pieces. Second tier draft picks, lower half of the lineup guys. Honestly, this might not cripple the Jackets like it once could have. They could do a lot with the residual cap space; and if those bottom of the lineup guys are of decent quality, it never hurts to have depth around.
Their second option: why not swing for the fences, like they did in acquiring Laine in the first place?
Look, goal scoring is hard to find. It's easy to teach guys to play in a defensive system. It's not easy to teach guys how to fire 95mph lasers that can hit a postage stamp. Patrik Laine still has huge value, and there are teams out there who are looking to shake their rosters up.
They could go out and trade Laine for another player seeking a change of scenery, or an upgrade elsewhere in the lineup. Carolina's Martin Necas, or Anaheim's Trevor Zegras; or, maybe Ottawa wants to give up one of their two-way centers in a deal for the big sniper? This kind of hockey trade is probably the best thing we can hope for.
The last option: just take the highest draft pick and run. That's it. If someone comes along and offers you a first round pick and some spare parts, that could work in our favor as well. Even if you have to retain some of the cap hit here, picks can be highly valuable.
Nearly every team in the league is looking for more scoring, so I feel like the Jackets should have some suitors out there. Even with Patrik's $8.7m AAV cap hit and his low production this year; he's still a premier goal scorer in this league. The acquiring team just needs to help him rediscover that potential.
In the end, my hope here is that he gets somewhere that makes him happy. Patrik is a neat guy who doesn't deserve the hands he's been dealt so far. I want nothing more than to see him back on the left circle, firing missiles into the net.
Even if that's not in Columbus. It's time for both sides to move on.
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