Player Discussion Patrik Laine: ruining the tank

[Marioesque]

the shot is so good and takes all the spotlight, his playmaking skills are overlooked and underrated. also for reasons unexplained his mates never score after he set terrific play, it has always been like that.

Yup. Still having nightmares of all the empty nets Ehlers missed lol

 

[Andrei79]

Would be sweet if Laine is here long term.

They would be adding a 1st/2nd OA caliber player, drafted just a year before Suzuki, which would be huge. The wings would be set.

 

[The Last Red]

Laine needs to stay healthy (physically and mentally) for the next 12 months before I would think seriously about extending him at big bucks. The best ability is availability.

 

[ReHabs]

They would be adding a 1st/2nd OA caliber player, drafted just a year before Suzuki, which would be huge. The wings would be set.

Now you see how infuriating it was for those of us who wanted the Habs to pick him up to see so many comments poo-pooing Laine and the opportunity to acquire him. Some even said it would be bad if he performs well because then we'd have to re-sign him.

 

[Deam78]

Laine's shot is a unicorn. It doesn't look natural. He keeps it close to his body but somehow gets tremendous leverage on it, regardless. And he also masks it with a deceptive and quirky release.

Read an article a while back breaking down his unique shot. Had to go find it, fun read:
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/26...he-rocket-richard/?source=user_shared_article

 

[26Mats]

They would be adding a 1st/2nd OA caliber player, drafted just a year before Suzuki, which would be huge. The wings would be set.

Holy shit, I didn't realize Suzuki is already 25, and so only one year younger than Laine.

Suzuki's in his prime. There should be pressure to win ASAP.

Hopefully Demidov is ready to have an impact already next year.

 

[JianYang]

Holy shit, I didn't realize Suzuki is already 25, and so only one year younger than Laine.

Suzuki's in his prime. There should be pressure to win ASAP.

Hopefully Demidov is ready to have an impact already next year.

Yes, I have been talking about this because Suzuki is the oldest peice for the team they are trying to build. Because of suzuki's age, I think there will be internal pressure for improvement sooner which I think will lead to more aggressive moves starting next year. Not that I think they will be contending next year but waiting too long could result in a Detroit situation where they still haven't turned the corner while Larkin is approaching 30 years of age.

 

[Redux91]

Would be sweet if Laine is here long term.

Not worried in the slightest
He ain't going nowhere
Only question is what the Cap hit is gonna be (could even be under 8.7 too amazingly)

I'm a big body language and demeanor guy
And you can just *see* it with Laine's, it's screaming "yeah.. finally , this is exactly where I want to be, this it, what I was looking for" like he's home now
It really is Kovalev all over again
But Laine can be even better than that honestly
Kovalev was *32* when we got him lol

 

[Andrei79]

Now you see how infuriating it was for those of us who wanted the Habs to pick him up to see so many comments poo-pooing Laine and the opportunity to acquire him. Some even said it would be bad if he performs well because then we'd have to re-sign him.

Yep. I wasn't sure where to stand regarding Laine, but the truth is these kinds of talent are must pickups, like Eichel at the time. I'll add that different POVs that go against the usual spiel on these boards is important and helps all of our critical thinking.

Edit-heres what I said this summer:
"I've always liked Laine the player.

His shot is insane, he plays well at center and he has the size to make space for himself in tight games.

My worry is the mental makeup. Even someone like Gomez, who played in high pressure situations was completely wiped by playing here. He can play a passive game as well and they're the types of players who are easy marks in this market"

For now, it seems like this is the kind of place he likes playing in. And that's good for us, he's one of the most talented players in the league. He's a Rantanen level talent.

 

[elmaco]

Some people say he was bad in WPG, really weird take.

 

[salbutera]

Some people say he was bad in WPG, really weird take.

I remember one playoffs watching Jets and Laine was steamrolling opposition in the Ozone winning puck battles - I find he’s one of the rare top line players who isn’t scared to fight for the puck which is advantageous given his size

 

[HuGort]

Any McDavid ? And you realize you're mad because a Hab player might be good enough to make the team win ? Think about it.

Mad? Lol. Team win, but you're losing a star. Goes back to your GM. Why you don't build on injury prone players. Great skill but stats show players oft injured odds much higher they injured again. It's only analytical .

Staying relatively healthy generally a factor in cup run

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Yes, I have been talking about this because Suzuki is the oldest peice for the team they are trying to build. Because of suzuki's age, I think there will be internal pressure for improvement sooner which I think will lead to more aggressive moves starting next year. Not that I think they will be contending next year but waiting too long could result in a Detroit situation where they still haven't turned the corner while Larkin is approaching 30 years of age.

There shouldn’t be.

Suzuki is a great piece but we have more elite talent coming up. It’s going to be a while before we’re competitive. Speeding things up for Suzuki wouldn’t make sense.

He’ll still be a great player by the time this team is (hopefully) competitive. No need for shortcuts.

 

[Ezpz]

Yes, I have been talking about this because Suzuki is the oldest peice for the team they are trying to build. Because of suzuki's age, I think there will be internal pressure for improvement sooner which I think will lead to more aggressive moves starting next year. Not that I think they will be contending next year but waiting too long could result in a Detroit situation where they still haven't turned the corner while Larkin is approaching 30 years of age.

Nick's game isn't based on speed. He could easily be productive going into his mid 30s like other cerebral players.

 

[JianYang]

There shouldn’t be.

Suzuki is a great piece but we have more elite talent coming up. It’s going to be a while before we’re competitive. Speeding things up for Suzuki wouldn’t make sense.

He’ll still be a great player by the time this team is (hopefully) competitive. No need for shortcuts.

I'm not suggesting shortcuts. What I am saying is that Suzuki is identified as an extremely important peice to what they are building and then presumably, they would want to capture as much of his prime window as possible. He will be 26 at the start of next season, and you don't want to get in a Larkin type situation where you have are still stuck looking forward to a decent talent pool while your best player is edging to 30 years of age.

It's a delicate balance, and a challenging one.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

I'm not suggesting shortcuts. What I am saying is that Suzuki is identified as an extremely important peice to what they are building and then presumably, they would want to capture as much of his prime window as possible. He will be 26 at the start of next season, and you don't want to get in a Larkin type situation where you have are still stuck looking forward to a decent talent pool while your best player is edging to 30 years of age.

It's a delicate balance, and a challenging one.

I mean, the reality is that Suzuki will be in his late 20s by the time this team’s competitive. I don’t see anything changing that.

 

[JianYang]

I mean, the reality is that Suzuki will be in his late 20s by the time this team’s competitive. I don’t see anything changing that.

I'd take that. Thats only a couple years away

 

[River Meadow]

I mean, the reality is that Suzuki will be in his late 30s by the time this team’s competitive. I don’t see anything changing that.

Fixed it.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

I'd take that. Thats only a couple years away

He's a good player but not a superstar. If it were a Carey Price type guy I'd be more concerned. But by the time we're competitive he may very well be our 2nd line center.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Fixed it.

Yeessh... let's hope not.

 

[JianYang]

He's a good player but not a superstar. If it were a Carey Price type guy I'd be more concerned. But by the time we're competitive he may very well be our 2nd line center.

Not a superstar but plays a very important position.

If he's your 2nd liner, you are in an extremely good position. Not to mention, I absolutely love his ability to rise when stakes are high.

 

[Redux91]

He's a good player but not a superstar. If it were a Carey Price type guy I'd be more concerned. But by the time we're competitive he may very well be our 2nd line center.

Still on that eh.. lol

 

[The Last Red]

There shouldn’t be.

Suzuki is a great piece but we have more elite talent coming up. It’s going to be a while before we’re competitive. Speeding things up for Suzuki wouldn’t make sense.

He’ll still be a great player by the time this team is (hopefully) competitive. No need for shortcuts.

He’ll play with Demidov as of next season. That should get him to around 90 points in two years.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Not a superstar but plays a very important position.

If he's your 2nd liner, you are in an extremely good position. Not to mention, I absolutely love his ability to rise when stakes are high.

Yeah, if he's your 2nd you've a really good team.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Still on that eh.. lol

He's a legit number one. At 30? Probably still will be. But we'll have Hage plus whatevver else.