Still, he’s only 26 and opposing GMs may wonder if Laine is a “change of scenery” reclamation project who’s worth pursuing. It’s something Waddell wants to explore, too. He’s hoping to speak with Laine soon, which he’s been cleared to do and is trying to set up through agent Andy Scott.
Once that happens, Waddell will ask Laine something he’s asking all Blue Jackets this summer.
“I always ask, ‘Do you want to be part of this team?’ because I want guys who want to be here,” Waddell said. “Every player I’ve talked to, and I’ve talked to probably 11 or 12 players already, I’ve asked them that question. I want people who want to be here. That’s where it starts. That’s just a conversation I want to have.”
It doesn’t mean trades will automatically happen if the answer is no, but it gives Waddell a list of the potential trade assets he’s most comfortable dealing.
“You’ve got to have two things for a trade,” Waddell said. “You’ve got to have a trading partner and you also need value, what you think is equal value to who you’re trying to trade, regardless of who the player is.”
There’s also an elephant in the room with Laine.
“You don’t lie,” Waddell said. “If you want to make trades continuously with teams in this league, you’ve got to be pretty open. If you know of big issues, like, Laine is one that everybody knows about. So, there’s no hiding behind that. We all know he’s a hell of a player, so the first question people are going to ask me, if that name comes up, is ‘What’s going on with him?’ And, as of today, I’ll tell them ... I’m working on that.”