GDT: Columbus @ Tampa | 7 PM EST

[Crede777]

Ask the Rangers how they are doing with a hard nosed GM who has a suck it up buttercup attitude...this is also how you get stuck with everyone who signs in your organization demanding an NMC that could cripple you down the road 4-5 years from now.

First, I wouldn't bet on the Rangers missing the playoffs this year. It hasn't crippled Vegas yet.

Second, as I said it's all about winning. If you win, players will want to play there. If you lose, they won't.

 

[SteelCityCannon]

I am not implying that, no. What I am stating is that a trade request is not an ultimatum. If you keep a player who has made a trade request, it is not the end of the world. And if the rest of the players are professionals, they'll know how to tune out a malcontent.

At the end of the day, this isn't about personalities. It's a matter of contracts and CBA rights. Of which players under contract virtually have none.

I mean, then I revert to my previous comment. That just never happens. The team can only play hardball for so long. It's best to just get it out of the room.

DW offered him to the entire league and not one team thought he was worth the steep price of free. He did the best he could with a shit situation.

I also don't know why we're talking about Laine in this thread.

As far as the game goes, good to see them turn it on, but disappointing to see 2 periods of butt hockey. We do have to keep reminding ourselves of the circumstances this year. Tampa has what, 25 million dollars in players on us? Every games going to be an uphill battle. Just have to keep scratching and clawing.

 

[Cowumbus]

I mean, then I revert to my previous comment. That just never happens. The team can only play hardball for so long. It's best to just get it out of the room.

DW offered him to the entire league and not one team thought he was worth the steep price of free. He did the best he could with a shit situation.

I also don't know why we're talking about Laine in this thread.

As far as the game goes, good to see them turn it on, but disappointing to see 2 periods of butt hockey. We do have to keep reminding ourselves of the circumstances this year. Tampa has what, 25 million dollars in players on us? Every games going to be an uphill battle. Just have to keep scratching and clawing.

Really just comes down to the fact Tampa has the 3-4 best players on the ice. Point, Kuch, Vasi, Hedman.

We need more of those type talents. Werenski is there. KJ might be on his way.

 

[Indy18]

I also don't know why we're talking about Laine in this thread.

 

[SteelCityCannon]

Really just comes down to the fact Tampa has the 3-4 best players on the ice. Point, Kuch, Vasi, Hedman.

We need more of those type talents. Werenski is there. KJ might be on his way.

Hopefully Adamo follows the KJ path and is there in a year or so.

 

[VT]

We don't really hear about trades that don't happen or when players aren't moved. Yes Laine could have blocked virtually any trade, but that doesn't mean you have to trade him. If he blocks the best trade, tell him that you won't move him then and he can deal with things in his own way. Keep the pick. Waddell isn't out there to make friends or do people favors, he is there to maximize value and assemble as much talent on the roster as possible. Win and players will want to be here. Lose and they won't.

Laine had serious psychical problems (depression etc). I am not surprised he wants to leave. It is normal for these people, ask psychologists. Waddell helped him in life. Theoretically it was an unfavorable trade, practically the players see the GM acting like a human being. Rest assured that they know full well the problems Patrick had (and maybe still has, but to a lesser degree). That's why it may help us in the future.

And please Laine's thread is either in thread about Non-Jackets players or in Montreal forum.

 

[Crede777]

I mean, then I revert to my previous comment. That just never happens. The team can only play hardball for so long. It's best to just get it out of the room.

DW offered him to the entire league and not one team thought he was worth the steep price of free. He did the best he could with a shit situation.

I also don't know why we're talking about Laine in this thread.

As far as the game goes, good to see them turn it on, but disappointing to see 2 periods of butt hockey. We do have to keep reminding ourselves of the circumstances this year. Tampa has what, 25 million dollars in players on us? Every games going to be an uphill battle. Just have to keep scratching and clawing.

We were talking about Laine because of his performance tonight and the fact that there wasn't anything to talk about in the Jackets game until partway through the 3rd period.

As for "nobody does it," even if we accept that as true that doesn't mean nobody should do it. It's taken as fact that a malcontent will destroy team chemistry and that players will avoid signing for the team if they follow that path. But there's very little actual evidence to support that in the league. In fact, I would argue that honoring one player's trade demands only makes it more likely that another one will make a similar demand in the future. They say "hey it worked for Anderson so I'll try it." Then the next says "Hey it worked for Dubois so I'll try it." Then the next says "Hey it worked for Laine so I'll try it." Pretty soon you have even guys like Jiricek on their ELC making demands. Instead, what you should have done is with the first guy sit him down and say "No. If you want to play in the NHL, it will be with us. If you don't want to play in the NHL, good luck in whatever other career path you want."

 

[ColumbusTrill]

We were talking about Laine because of his performance tonight and the fact that there wasn't anything to talk about in the Jackets game until partway through the 3rd period.

As for "nobody does it," even if we accept that as true that doesn't mean nobody should do it. It's taken as fact that a malcontent will destroy team chemistry and that players will avoid signing for the team if they follow that path. But there's very little actual evidence to support that in the league. In fact, I would argue that honoring one player's trade demands only makes it more likely that another one will make a similar demand in the future. They say "hey it worked for Anderson so I'll try it." Then the next says "Hey it worked for Dubois so I'll try it." Then the next says "Hey it worked for Laine so I'll try it." Pretty soon you have even guys like Jiricek on their ELC making demands. Instead, what you should have done is with the first guy sit him down and say "No. If you want to play in the NHL, it will be with us. If you don't want to play in the NHL, good luck in whatever other career path you want."

But both Laine and the team agreed playing for the CBJ was going to do no good for anyone. Can't believe we're having this discussion now. Keeping him in purgatory would have been a terrible look around the league. Forcing him into the lineup when he clearly wasn't a part of the future also would have been a disaster.

 

[VT]

Provorov and Severson did not have too good game.

 

[Crede777]

But both Laine and the team agreed playing for the CBJ was going to do no good for anyone. Can't believe we're having this discussion now. Keeping him in purgatory would have been a terrible look around the league. Forcing him into the lineup when he clearly wasn't a part of the future also would have been a disaster.

I agree that the team and Laine may have decided a split was warranted. But when they shopped him and nobody would take him for free, that's where the talks should have ended.

As I said before, people are putting too much stock into player perception of a team. Really, it comes down to if the team is winning or not. Vegas continually dumping players is a bad look around the league. Except players still line up to play there. NYR dumping Trouba when he didn't want to move is a bad look around the league, but players will still want to play there, especially if they're good. Tampa Bay not offering their long time captain Stamkos a contract when he wanted to stay is a bad look around the league. But players still want to play there.

Meanwhile the Jackets can be as nice as they want. It won't make free agents want to come here or players waive to come here while the team is bad.

 

[majormajor]

@Crede777
The real trade return is the benefit of not having Laine on our team.

In the wrong state of mind he's a very bad player. He was god awful for us last year. I'm still not sure what kind of player the Habs will get from him, but if he stayed here it could have easily spoiled the positive start for Evason and the new look club. We've got a team that has shown forechecking ability and 5 man cohesion on the ice, and you want another guy on this team that can't forecheck and just does his own thing? A guy that needs a lot of high ice time, and top unit PP time (in the place of Marchenko or KJ?). Of all the players in the league, that's one guy we ought to be glad to not have.

 

[CBJWerenski8]

 

[SteelCityCannon]

Provorov and Severson did not have too good game.

I'm not sure if they bring out the worst in each other or what. I think they're both solid but also both good for pants shitting mistakes. Would love to see them broken up. We likely will now that Fabbro is out.

 

[VT]

I'm not sure if they bring out the worst in each other or what. I think they're both solid but also both good for pants shitting mistakes. Would love to see them broken up. We likely will now that Fabbro is out.

Probably yes because I doubt one of Christiansen/J. Johnson/Harris will play with Werenski.

 

[Cujorulesdtown9]

A really good 10 minutes of hockey.
Unfortunate that the game is 60.

 

[cbjthrowaway]

But both Laine and the team agreed playing for the CBJ was going to do no good for anyone. Can't believe we're having this discussion now. Keeping him in purgatory would have been a terrible look around the league. Forcing him into the lineup when he clearly wasn't a part of the future also would have been a disaster.

i was one of the biggest laine supporters on this board for a while. my opinion was basically that he was a top-line level player who played his best hockey here, but the perception did not match that because the power play was awful and didn't utilize his shot enough.

now the narrative is that he rules again because he has 6 power play goals in 7 games. otherwise he only has one even strength point (an assist) in 7 games, his CF% is a paltry 33.1 at even strength with over 70% offensive zone starts, and his ice time isn't anywhere close to first line level.

i imagine that he would've been doing a lot better here under evason – not that he's necessarily a great fit in this system but having KJ feed crazy cross-zone power play passes would've been a real treat to watch.

as it stands, though, i don't think anyone should be all that upset with the trade. waddell defused a toxic situation and freed up nearly $9m in cap each of the next two years, and laine went to a team where he can just clap bombs and get applause without needing to do much else.

 

[NotWendell]

Laine was washed here. He needed a change of venue to be a legit top six player in this league. This fantasy that he is elite needs to die.

 

[VT]

i was one of the biggest laine supporters on this board for a while. my opinion was basically that he was a top-line level player who played his best hockey here, but the perception did not match that because the power play was awful and didn't utilize his shot enough.

now the narrative is that he rules again because he has 6 power play goals in 7 games. otherwise he only has one even strength point (an assist) in 7 games, his CF% is a paltry 33.1 at even strength with over 70% offensive zone starts, and his ice time isn't anywhere close to first line level.

i imagine that he would've been doing a lot better here under evason – not that he's necessarily a great fit in this system but having KJ feed crazy cross-zone power play passes would've been a real treat to watch.

as it stands, though, i don't think anyone should be all that upset with the trade. waddell defused a toxic situation and freed up nearly $9m in cap each of the next two years, and laine went to a team where he can just clap bombs and get applause without needing to do much else.

The 5v5 game is out of the question as he only played 7 games after a year. Unless you count the one preseason game then he got injured. He also didn't skate for about half a year.

Regarding PP I doubt it. Don't forget that there is playmaker Hutson in Montreal, in our team Werenski is more of a sniper, so in many cases he would prefer to shoot and not oass. How would Marchenko or Chinakhov play with a quarterback like Hutson?

Short of that, he's gone now. And what if... we'll never know anymore. I prefers to focus on our players.