Player Discussion: Patrik Laine IVever: a new hope? (Laine out of PAP, trade request still stands)

[VT]

Gaudreau isn’t the franchise player or the player they are building around.
He’s a superstar player who became available and they got him, an awesome addition but not the player you are building around.

Jiricek/Fantilli/Johnson is the expected core they are going to try to build this rebuild around and Laine& Gaudreau are high end ”support” players for it.

& you know they are going through a rebuild, those take time. & in comparison to many other rebuilds this really hasn’t been a long one yet and right now looks to be in great shape.
You don’t rebuild a perfect roster in 1 offseason, now this team looks to be set for W& defense longterm. The next step is to figure out the C& G longterm, but as said before it’s a rebuild and you need time to see/figure out what you have in your young players and then make moves as you see fit.
If Johnson becomes a legit top6 then you’ve saved yourself a ton of high end assets& cap. If he doesn’t then you know you have to make a move and you have the assets to make a move.

This was always going to be a growth/development year and when they are ready to make a push(2025->) Gaudreau will still be Gaudreau


& of course I’m listing the top6 for this year with the players we know they have in roster& that top6 has potential to be legit at the end of season.
With potential to be elite by 2024/25 season, how could you really argue otherwise?
Even without an addition they should have 4 legit 1st line talents on their top6 including a legit 1C. Heck maybe even 5 if Marchenko keeps developing.

It was the Nyquist -- Jenner -- Laine line that gave the team a chance to play in the PO in 2021/22. And it was led by Laine. In 2022/23 he played often with Roslovic. Despite that (and injuries) he had better PPG stats than Gaudreau, he led the line. I think Patrik is underrated. Because he's long since ceased to be a player who can only shoot, figuratively speaking.

At first, fans (and not only them) said he needed a center-playmaker, or at least a winger. When he proved that wasn't true, I got this new theory. And when that turns out not to be true either?

P.S. On what basis are you saying that Johnson is a player you can build a team around. Kent is a great player, but it's still early to make a similar claim.

 

[Marioesque]

Fantilli will be the best, most fitting player for Laine since he played with Aho. It's that hockey brain of their pedigree. They're very rare players.

Can't wait to see what a healthy Laine can do with this cast

 

[VT]

Fantilli will be the best, most fitting player for Laine since he played with Aho. It's that hockey brain of their pedigree. They're very rare players.

Can't wait to see what a healthy Laine can do with this cast

I have feeling Fantilli will be playing with Gaudreau sooner or later not to mention Adam and Patrik's possible chemistry.

 

[5th Line Fanatic]

& of course I’m listing the top6 for this year with the players we know they have in roster& that top6 has potential to be legit at the end of season.
With potential to be elite by 2024/25 season, how could you really argue otherwise?
Even without an addition they should have 4 legit 1st line talents on their top6 including a legit 1C. Heck maybe even 5 if Marchenko keeps developing.

I could really argue otherwise because at the moment we have exactly one elite player on the whole team. The top 6 are prospects who haven't proven shit at the NHL level and Patrik Laine.

If/when this team fails to be close to the playoffs this year a new GM will be in to put his own mark on things and God only knows how that will turn out. So let's not get ahead of ourselves with all this elite talk.

 

[Byrral]

I could really argue otherwise because at the moment we have exactly one elite player on the whole team. The top 6 are prospects who haven't proven shit at the NHL level and Patrik Laine.

If/when this team fails to be close to the playoffs this year a new GM will be in to put his own mark on things and God only knows how that will turn out. So let's not get ahead of ourselves with all this elite talk.

I will choose the path somewhere closer to @BB88 and their optimism than your doom and gloom take the devils advocate scenario for the CBJ this season.

This is a wait and see thing for me. Not having an "elite" player on the team (I don't think they have any right now) doesn't mean squat to me. If you have more than a few players in that next level category then you are going to have a really good team. Without naming everyone there a plenty of names you could put in that next category (Gaudreau, Werenski, Laine as current and Johnson, Fantilli and Jiricek as future). The biggest question mark to making progress this season is in goal. If that is in any way stabilized this year the CBJ are going to be an inproved team. If not we all know where this season will go.

I'm still over this management group but if nothing else they have obtained a few talented players currently on the team and filled the cupboard with capable futures. Whether they put it all together and take the CBJ to the next level or not there are pieces already here where a new leadership group coming in wouldn't have to start from scratch. I want Vincent to succeed because if he does well so will the team.

 

[MAHJ71]

 

[MoeBartoli]

Looking forward to seeing Laine competing on “Chopped”

 

[Jovavic]

I hate this saying but I'm here for the Fantilli and Laine bromance

 

[5minutemajor]

Did Laine have anyone after Ehlers before Fantilli? As a best buddy.

 

[CBJWerenski8]

 

[traffic cone]

Interesting to see him at center again.

 

[MissADD]

Great read. Love that he still wants to try center, proving he wants to help the team. Just hope he can stay healthy

 

[Marioesque]

It's really hard to understand how that guy has haters at all. Great article and just validates what I've always thought of him as a person. I wish he'd be less polite and let it rip for once about Wheeler etc but that'll probably be after his career ends and can speak more freely. Obviously it bothered him (hell it bothered me too) how he was received by the vets in Jets

 

[squashmaple]

It's really hard to understand how that guy has haters at all. Great article and just validates what I've always thought of him as a person. I wish he'd be less polite and let it rip for once about Wheeler etc but that'll probably be after his career ends and can speak more freely. Obviously it bothered him (hell it bothered me too) how he was received by the vets in Jets

I feel like I scooped Porty on this with my comment last night.

 

[VT]

And didn't management order Portzline to write something nice about Laine, like Scheig did last season? I would check this thing out.

 

[cbjthrowaway]

And didn't management order Portzline to write something nice about Laine, like Scheig did last season? I would check this thing out.

lmao the funniest part about that was the notion that management wanted to use subterfuge to sway public opinion and the first guy they turned to was… mark scheig.

fully unhinged posting. truly what message boards were created for. cannot help but applaud the gusto.

 

[Marioesque]

lmao the funniest part about that was the notion that management wanted to use subterfuge to sway public opinion and the first guy they turned to was… mark scheig.

fully unhinged posting. truly what message boards were created for. cannot help but applaud the gusto.

I must have missed that conspiracy but sounds like fun

Am I guessing right on who posted it?

 

[VT]

lmao the funniest part about that was the notion that management wanted to use subterfuge to sway public opinion and the first guy they turned to was… mark scheig.

fully unhinged posting. truly what message boards were created for. cannot help but applaud the gusto.

I think anybody won't be agree.

 

[Viqsi]

I for one am cautiously, tentatively looking forward to many years of "Laine is just a product of Fantilli" takes. (Interspersed with occasional "Fantilli is just a product of Laine" takes from our Finnish contingent.)

 

[stevo61]

I for one am cautiously, tentatively looking forward to many years of "Laine is just a product of Fantilli" takes. (Interspersed with occasional "Fantilli is just a product of Laine" takes from our Finnish contingent.)

If it works as good as I hope and thats what people need to tell themselves then so be it. Results > HF opinions

 

[Viqsi]

If it works as good as I hope and thats what people need to tell themselves then so be it. Results > HF opinions

Exactly!

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

If it works as good as I hope and thats what people need to tell themselves then so be it. Results > HF opinions

Not if you’re just talking sheer volume!

 

[cbjthrowaway]

Results > HF opinions

results??? that sure sounds like STATISTICS, which cannot be trusted when it comes to the treacherous scallywag patrik laine.

 

[majormajor]

Obviously it bothered him (hell it bothered me too) how he was received by the vets in Jets

What is the hard evidence for mistreatment? It's always felt like conjecture to me.

And I don't think vets would be out of line if they sternly treated a kid who was staying up all night before games. That's what vets are for, upholding high standards of behavior.

Like you think Laine is just swallowing his anger at Wheeler but he might actually at this point appreciate that the vets were helping him to grow up.

 

[Marioesque]

What is the hard evidence for mistreatment? It's always felt like conjecture to me.

And I don't think vets would be out of line if they sternly treated a kid who was staying up all night before games. That's what vets are for, upholding high standards of behavior.

Like you think Laine is just swallowing his anger at Wheeler but he might actually at this point appreciate that the vets were helping him to grow up.

Like DNA?

Him trying to offer a different experience to Fantilli than the one he had is quite telling.

If he had enjoyed it or thought it useful for a young players development, he'd be repeating it and saying that he had such great mentors and wants to pay it forward.