It’s nearly August, and nothing has changed on the Laine front. He’s still in the Player Assistance Program and is still a Columbus Blue Jacket. GM Don Waddell was hoping that Laine would be cleared by the program before free agency, but now that the busy part of the off-season has come and gone, one has to wonder what happens from here.
With training camp only two months away, a trade is becoming less and less likely. It’s hard to imagine Laine getting cleared by the NHLPA while the entire league unwinds at their summer cabin somewhere in Ontario. So maybe he gets cleared in September, but then where does that leave the Blue Jackets?
Unfortunately, Waddell has been backed into a corner. While there will be teams still interested in Laine, the return packages may not include pieces that immediately improve the Blue Jackets. Reports this week indicate that Carolina is trying to sign Necas, so that ship may have sailed. Teams have already signed free agents, and rosters are mostly set. So, any trade at this point is likely to lean heavily toward picks and prospects. That may not be a bad thing, especially if you are dealing with Utah or Seattle, but obviously, those deals come with higher risk.
So what happens if a deal isn’t struck before opening night? It’s certainly possible that we haven’t seen the last of Patrik Laine in a Blue Jackets sweater. Unless Laine refuses to report to camp, you don’t trade him just for the sake of trading him. Then, the problem of another forward logjam resurfaces. If Laine is all of a sudden back in the fold, you have to make room for him. That means either moving someone in the top nine to the fourth line or to Cleveland.
It’s also possible another wrinkle gets thrown into this situation. Because Laine is still in the assistance program, Waddell hasn’t had the opportunity to speak directly with Laine. If Laine was disgruntled with the situation in Columbus, nearly everything has changed since last spring. There’s a new GM, a new coach, and a new top six center. Could he be convinced to give it one more go?
As a fan, it’s hard to have a strong opinion on which outcome is preferred without knowing what the return on a trade looks like. There will certainly be a number of eye rolls if Laine is traded for mostly futures. Columbus fans have been down that road before, and it rarely works in their favor. On the flip side, many would love to see Laine play for a new coach and with a stronger center depth. Either way, it doesn’t look like a resolution is coming any time soon.