Player Discussion Patrik Laine: ruining the tank

[waitin425]

Are you a professional athlete? The impact of the flu on someone with a regular job is vastly different from its effect on someone whose work requires high physical demands.

I'm not. I know a couple former ones though. I'll ask them about illness for a team and whether they knew anyone who gamed the system for "time off".

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

give the guy break

when you miss work for a few days. are you faking or sick?

Team has shown they can win without him for the time being , not the end of the world , Laine is our little luxury anyways

 

[Frankenheimer]

Woah! Easy there. I am taking a shit kicking for being slightly concerned about a 10 day flu absence. I've never missed work for 10 days because of a flu, but apparently some have here and there is nothing to be concerned about. We shouldn't even discuss it. In fact it is alarmist and offensive to talk about concerns for a player.

I hope he is just fine and comes back roaring at the same pace he had at the end of 2024, and that I am proven to be an idiot.

I think it depends on the line of work. In professional sports, you can be replaced, and unless you perform better than your replacement, you're better off recovering until fully ready.

10 days for a flu is not excessive especially if its a gastro and you end up losing some weight/muscle. Some jobs that don't require world class conditioning and physical strength can be peformed adequately at the tail end of a flu. The threshhold for a professional athlete is significantly higher, particularly in Montreal where fans are ready to go for the jugular when you're not performing well. So yeah, better to be in optimal condition before hitting the ice for the habs.

 

[InsideLaine]

Seems more and more like the Columbus game broke Laine. 0+1 in 4 games with just 4 shots on goal since going back to Columbus and now sitting out for the 4th straight time. That's 8 straight games of basically nothing from Laine. Hate to say it but this might be a situation were both Laine and @thebus88 were right. Laine was right about Columbus and the terrible mindset that the team had when it comes to winning and loosing, while bus might be right that Laine is just getting by because he has one of the best shots of all time and pretty much nothing else...

I agree on the first part, which is the effect of the Columbus game. To me it seems like Laine maybe fell back, at least momentarily now, to the mental health struggles which he hoped he was free from. Nothing uncommon about that though, it happens, and it takes time to bounce back.

Maybe he has the flu as well. Maybe he is feeling fatigued due his brain having to work overtime in order to handle the additional stress from the Columbus-hassle. And yes, it can happen.

I will not guess any more specific details, but I definitely feel for him. I myself have struggled with anxiety for over a decade, which then brought depression and extreme fatigue for the past few years. Was finally diagnosed with ADHD, and after receiving the correct medication for it the fatigue and the depression disappeared. Anxiety stayed but became a tad easier to deal with.

Im not trying to diagnose Laine, only saying that the issues he is dealing with might affect him more than him or others thought. He is also very young when it comes to dealing with e.g. mental health issues. Here's to hoping that he can find ways to minimize the negative effects of mistakes, failure, not reaching his own expectations etc.

 

[Marioesque]

Team has shown they can win without him for the time being , not the end of the world , Laine is our little luxury anyways

Exactly. And that's what excites me a lot here. This team is now showing it's a solid playoff candidate, you don't beat so many top teams in a row by chance. So now we have a playoff bound young team that's capable of challenging the other top teams.

This reminds me a lot of the situation Laine found himself in with Tappara in Finland. Top level team, he came in and played 3rd line minutes in regular season (mind you he was 16 and it's a great feat). In playoffs he broke the scoring record, was MVP and team won the championship. His unicorn shot decided every playoff series, one against my favorite team. I couldn't even be mad, because I was watching evolution of hockey. I was excited.

Now he's playing with the best offensive defenseman he has ever played with, someone who draws attention and can find Laine in space. That's going to amount to so much. Especially on PP, but you can get more from him if you surround him with top talent 5 on 5 as well.

 

[VT]

Team has shown they can win without him for the time being , not the end of the world , Laine is our little luxury anyways

But:

1 win against Avs
1 win against Nucks, what are in crisis
1 win against Caps

1 loss against Chicago

Compare shots versus goals.

How many games do you think you can win with an AHL player on the fourth line and one of the Heineman/Armia/Gallagher (+Newhook) trio on the second line? Especially if Newhook doesn't have a very good shot and Dach is just wondering who to pass to?

Or do you think you can play with 11 forwards forever? You have extremely tough games ahead of you, you need a quality second line, especially if Slafkovský alternates good games with bad ones according to unknown holidays. And if you don't ruin your top third and fourth lines.

 

[Marioesque]

But:

1 win against Avs
1 win against Nucks, what are in crisis
1 win against Caps

1 loss against Chicago

Compare shots versus goals.

How many games do you think you can win with an AHL player on the fourth line and one of the Heineman/Armia/Gallagher (+Newhook) trio on the second line? Especially if Newhook doesn't have a very good shot and Dach is just wondering who to pass to?

Or do you think you can play with 11 forwards forever? You have extremely tough games ahead of you, you need a quality second line, especially if Slafkovský alternates good games with bad ones according to unknown holidays. And if you don't ruin your top third and fourth lines.

They have effectively shown that the depth can compete.

The 2nd line was awful, but now Dach is showing clear signs of coming back. Laine is a 1st line talent and will elevate Dach even more. I don't feel Newhook should be there.

 

[HHel]

I have to put my tinfoil hat on and have a little snacks, when I read this thread.

 

[HuGort]

I don't think Laine stable enough to go through a deep playoff run. If he did it be a fluke. Playoffs usually are more physical. Refs keep whistle in their pockets more. He seems to go down easier than most players. Because of his shot he's going to be a target. Of big heavy mobile defensemen

 

[Mulletman]

I agree on the first part, which is the effect of the Columbus game. To me it seems like Laine maybe fell back, at least momentarily now, to the mental health struggles which he hoped he was free from. Nothing uncommon about that though, it happens, and it takes time to bounce back.

Maybe he has the flu as well. Maybe he is feeling fatigued due his brain having to work overtime in order to handle the additional stress from the Columbus-hassle. And yes, it can happen.

I will not guess any more specific details, but I definitely feel for him. I myself have struggled with anxiety for over a decade, which then brought depression and extreme fatigue for the past few years. Was finally diagnosed with ADHD, and after receiving the correct medication for it the fatigue and the depression disappeared. Anxiety stayed but became a tad easier to deal with.

Im not trying to diagnose Laine, only saying that the issues he is dealing with might affect him more than him or others thought. He is also very young when it comes to dealing with e.g. mental health issues. Here's to hoping that he can find ways to minimize the negative effects of mistakes, failure, not reaching his own expectations etc.

You should start going to the gym and lifting heavy shit, that will help. And look into your diet. Stop eating sugar and excessive carbohydrates. And if you really want to make some change you'll want to grow a mullet. It's not a coincidence that many of the greatest men in history has had a mullet. Hell even in hockey the top 2 guys on the all time points list had mullets.

 

[Mulletman]

you don't beat so many top teams in a row by chance

Chance is a hell of a thing. I once hit black 9 times in a row playing roulette. It happens...

 

[Lshap]

Chance is a hell of a thing. I once hit black 9 times in a row playing roulette. It happens...

A roulette spin is a single event governed by pure luck. It makes no difference who spins it.

A hockey game is a large sample size of thousands of bounces and dozens of shots, generated by elite athletes. A lucky bounce will happen. Players get hot and cold. But overall, the results are 100% dependant on the skill of the players. The better team always wins.