Whenever there is a major acquisition by the Blue Jackets, we like to get insight from other SBNation writers who are most familiar with those players. Hours after the trade of Pierre-Luc Dubois for Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovic, our colleagues at Arctic Ice Hockey reached out about exchanging questions and answers.
The answer that most excites me is regarding Laine’s defense. If he just needs coached up, that’s one area where the Columbus staff excels.
The Cannon: What is your reaction to the trade? Are you more sad about losing Laine, or happy about gaining PLD? Do you think it was an overpayment, a steal, or a fair price?
Arctic Ice Hockey: The general sentiment about the trade was anger. It was known that Patrik Laine liked Winnipeg the city and that is a rare quality in a player. On paper it is a fair trade. The anger surrounding it has to do with why Laine was traded. See answer 2.
Normally, top 3 picks who put up big numbers become franchise players. Why did things sour between Laine and the Jets?
There are a lot of rumours about the Winnipeg Jets room and I think it is time we listened to them. Allegedly the Jets room is divided and Laine was part of that division. He is a really chill guy who just wants to play his games and hockey. He came to Winnipeg ready to go and played great even though it was known there was a trade request. In short, there were probably dressing room issues and Laine was the fall man for them.
Why would the #NHLJets trade Patrik Laine?
The answer, it turns out, depends on who you ask.
My full column looking at what the heck may have happened can be found HERE: https://t.co/ZYsjbng2FR
And the excerpt below illustrates just how tough it is to get to the truth.#wfp pic.twitter.com/25zd6clE9r
— Mike McIntyre (@mikemcintyrewpg) January 25, 2021
I feel like Laine’s reputation around the league had changed from an elite player to one that is more one-dimensional, even if said one dimension is the most important one. Is this a fair assessment of him, or is he now underrated?
Laine is not putrid defensively, but he has a long way to go. However, he seems to want to learn how to be better, just never got coached on how to be better. If you are sensing an issue with the coaching staff here, you’d be correct. Basically Laine wants to be more than a one way player, but has no clue how to be better defensively.
We know that he can score goals, but are there parts of his game that stand out in a positive way? What about his weaknesses?
He is a way underrated passer. Because teams were trying to stop his shot, he simply became a better passer. Weaknesses is he is not strong defensively and he is not always good at playing the body. He is a big man who likes a skilled game.
How would you describe Jack Roslovic as a player? What are his strengths and weaknesses?
Roslovic is a speedy skater and effective in the top nine however, he really does not have much offence in him it seems and sometimes can be frustrating because of that. Still better than Nate Thompson though. And he is used to playing against tougher competition.
Roslovic prefers to play center. Do you see him as a better fit there or at wing?
Roslovic spent most of his time in Winnipeg on the wing. He was often the third player with Andrew Copp and Adam Lowry. More of a grinding line, but a good one all the same.
Do you think Roslovic has a higher ceiling than he reached in Winnipeg, or do you think he’s just a bottom 6 forward?
Young players in Winnipeg are really hard to judge. I could see him breaking out or staying the same because when he had chances due to injuries here he never ran with them. That said, you never know if the environment wasn’t good for him.
Thanks again to the AIH team for their time.