Rumor: The All Encompassing Patrik Laine Thread (it’s happening!!)

[calder candidate]

You should because this is exactly the opposite of what we want and expect out of all of our players.
If we were to get Laine I would hope that would be made abundantly clear to him from the get go,
This is where the disconnect is for me and always has been.
Will Laine go all out like most of our other players have had to do?
I don't care about him driving people into next week but he can dominate space with that size.
I would expect it and given his salary Hughes and MSL would demand it.

When I say that I don’t care he doesn’t use it, that is what I mean we don’t need him to punish guy in the board every time, we just need to use it to be hard to play against.

 

[JoelWarlord]

Personally I'd rather just take the full contract because we have plenty of cap space over the next 2 seasons and it would keep the asset cost lower. I dunno, there's obviously flaws with Laine's game but I just can't really bring myself to care. He would round out the top six and give us another goal scoring talent, adds a bit of swagger that we need and would be a good vote of confidence for the young players already on the roster.

I don't think we should let the perfect be the enemy of the good here and I personally think this would be a no brainer unless the price is much higher than what we've been led to believe. The only real issue I have is that the 2 year term is a bit awkward because if he bounces back you might have to consider a long extension with only 1 year of track record in Montreal, but I don't think that's a reason to avoid the potential upside.

I get the concerns about work ethic and yadda yadda but it's not like Laine is someone who's really been known as a locker room issue. If he ends up not being a culture fit we can just move on, I don't get the impression Laine is going to poison the vibes long term or anything like that.

 

[Saku K]

Anderson, Harris and Calgary's 1st for Laine no retention. I'm willing to add a solid prospect if they retain 25% or a second round pick as well. I don't see how we could absorb all of that contract with the risk that comes with it without sending anderson's contract in the deal. We would save an additional year of Anderson's remaining contract as well.

We have enough assets to get this done without hurting the future too much while giving ourselves a shot at the big time ufas (ok this will probably fail but still) in 2025 and 2026 which I always thought would be the final years of the rebuild.

Without sending back anderson in columbus, I don't see much of a trade that would please me. That would be my proposal more or less.

 

[sampollock]

That made sense because Dach was undervalued with sky high potential. Laine hasn't been effective since his ELC, consistently gets worse and now has a massive contract and mental health issues.

kinda dissagree. so when a player has mental health then trade him or drop him.?
what if Suz or CC had this issue, not sure I agree

 

[WeThreeKings]

kinda dissagree. so when a player has mental health then trade him or drop him.?
what if Suz or CC had this issue, not sure I agree

We have them in-house and of course we would support them.

It's a different thing when you are actively trying to put someone into an environment of massive pressure. I wouldn't have acquired Kuznetsov, or even Nichuskin now, it's a bit of a disservice to that individual who is trying to get themselves back on track to put them into one of the harshest environments for pressure or temptation there can be in the NHL.

 

[JoelWarlord]

We have them in-house and of course we would support them.

It's a different thing when you are actively trying to put someone into an environment of massive pressure. I wouldn't have acquired Kuznetsov, or even Nichuskin now, it's a bit of a disservice to that individual who is trying to get themselves back on track to put them into one of the harshest environments for pressure or temptation there can be in the NHL.

I don't really get the impression Laine is a hard party guy that has a coke problem, the jokes were that he played too much Fortnite in Winnipeg. You'd certainly have to discuss it with him and respect his wishes if he thinks it would be too much of a fishbowl, but I don't think Montreal is inherently a big risk for Laine.

I don't think the pressure would be all that huge in Montreal either as he'd probably be the C or D plot for the media this season unless things go very well for him in which case it wouldn't be a big issue anyway. In Winnipeg he was a 2nd overall pick that looked like he was on track to be an instant star while in Columbus he was the crown jewel in the Dubois trade. Coming to Montreal as a reclamation project and being insulated by the more public faces of the team in Suzuki/Caufield/Slafkovsky would probably diminish the Montreal spotlight effect and it's not like we're in playoff pressure mode yet either.

 

[calder candidate]

That made sense because Dach was undervalued with sky high potential. Laine hasn't been effective since his ELC, consistently gets worse and now has a massive contract and mental health issues.

Is pts total might be down but not sure he been less effective or worst, is ppg game are actually up and is shooting % and goal per game still above avg. looking at the CBJ lineup 21-22, 22-23, 23-24 that wasn’t a great situation for anyone and he still performed, PAP, injuries, he has a massive contract but it is 2 years but we can afford it and that is why your able to acquire him for pennies…

 

[Fatbiggie]

Delete

 

[SnapVirus]

People saying Laine has mental problems like he is schyzophrenic or something is Pejorative Slured.

How many of you at 25, would have reacted if you lost your dad mid-season? His dad was there to support him live each home games he ever played as a pro and who he was really close with. He took 5 months off.

Why making it so much a big deal out of this? He was sad/depressed call it what you want. At the end of the day, I think its a normal reaction when you loose someone youre so close too.

There was nothing else and thats the end of his « mental problems ».

So cringe to see posters here spewing misinformation like they are controversial blog writers.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

People saying Laine has mental problems like he is schyzophrenic or something is Pejorative Slured.

I can't remember anyone saying or suggesting this. Is there a specific post that you can quote to support what you've said here?

 

[SnapVirus]

I can't remember anyone saying or suggesting this. Is there a specific post that you can quote to support what you've said here?

Anyone who says someone has « mental problem » because they lost a close one. Should be kicked in the balls imediately.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Anyone who says someone has « mental problem » because they lost a close one. Should be kicked in the balls imediately.

We don't know why he's in treatment. Who's to say it was because he lost someone? He had issues in Winnipeg as well.

I don't think it's wrong to say that the team needs to factor this in before bringing him into a a high pressure environment. No, it doesn't automatically rule him out. But it's definitely going to be a consideration.

 

[bsl]

One thing I was thinking about today. Remember when Scott Gomez was on that crazy goal-less streak? There was a restaurant in Montreal that marketed a promo prosmising free drinks on the night he scored his first goal. They had signs everywhere '78 games and counting' or something like that. It used to get posted here all the time. I remember all of us having a good laugh. I'm sure it was tough on him though. I don't think something like that would happen in Columbus. Do you?

Nobody is saying that it's impossible to play in Montreal or that you can't have success here. Many players have. But there's a lot of scrutiny and it's not for everyone. It's simply something that mgmt will take into consideration when they look at acquiring players. It can be a very unforgiving place.

I really feel for players making a guaranteed 10 mill a year. Over 8 years. They won the lottery and whine that they can’t go shopping. I feel so bad for them.

 

[bsl]

I think the market pressure in Montreal is way overblown. Yes, players are better known here than elsewhere. Fans talk about them, media interview them, sponsors hire them, but very little translates to real-life pressure when a player is at a restaurant or walking on the street. "Well-known" is not the same as "Mobbed".

Purely anecdotal, but I've crossed paths with many big name Habs – Lafleur, Gainey, Carbonneau, Robinson, Pacioretty – and never seen anyone do anything more intrusive than nod and smile at them. Usually they're given no attention whatsoever. My friend's son is friends with Suzuki and Caufield – she showed me pics of them hugging her at a party; she calls them "Sweet kids".

I think Montreal players can live their life, eat, shop, stroll, date, without much celebrity pressure. Hockey fans aren't nearly as hysterical as movie star or rock fans. The pressure isn't face-to-face; it's mostly from their social media footprint. Drouin was criticized mercilessly in articles, podcasts, and sites like this one. Gomez had a Goal-Drought website. In that respect Montreal is more obsessive than most other NHL markets. It must be weird for a young player to know people are talking about him online, but with a little experience it's easy to avoid the chatter. Don't read Quebec journals, don't tune into TSN 690, avoid HFBoards, and life is almost normal. Most of the noise is in french, which non-francophone players won't understand anyway.

Good. I used to go to a Pizza place in pointe Claire that lemaire and his family liked. This was at the height of Habs success in the 70s. No one bothered him. He was a hero to me but I watched him at the forum. That was the place to watch him. It was not my place to bother him in public. I knew this at age 12. Anyone who does not know this is an idiot. I think most fans would behave the same way

 

[B1g B1rd]

Htonestly, imo, the only question with Laine is:

Is he willing to concentrate on playing hockey in MSL's system? If so, well, its worth a try for him and for us because he has the talent to help us grow. and he can relaunch his career by doing so.

This franchise is becoming a positive environment - I mean the hockey club - with the new management, the coaching staff, the young players and the development focus. It's now a good place to be if he wants to concentrate on hockey and regain traction for the rest of his career. Yes there is the crazy media nitpickers and with them comes the 10-15% of fefans who are a pain in da xxx... But if you want to concentrate on playing hockey and be a part of the rebuild of a golden franchise, Montreal is the place to be.

He has the talent, we have the environment and the $$$. And its only 2 years.

 

[bsl]

Laine would slide into this group well IMO. Would have loads to talent to work with and the 2 year term is perfect IMO. There are risks/rewards to pretty much any trade you make.

Just imagine Laine with Suzuki. Also think about the centers Laine has played with in his career so far? Scheifele is the only true top 2C.

I think he’ll go to the wild. It is quieter. Climate he would understand. Minnesota is very Scandinavian. Not too much pressure. Good team culture as far as I know.

 

[bsl]

Anderson, Harris and Calgary's 1st for Laine no retention. I'm willing to add a solid prospect if they retain 25% or a second round pick as well. I don't see how we could absorb all of that contract with the risk that comes with it without sending anderson's contract in the deal. We would save an additional year of Anderson's remaining contract as well.

We have enough assets to get this done without hurting the future too much while giving ourselves a shot at the big time ufas (ok this will probably fail but still) in 2025 and 2026 which I always thought would be the final years of the rebuild.

Without sending back anderson in columbus, I don't see much of a trade that would please me. That would be my proposal more or less.

lol these Anderson back to Columbus comments are absurd. And by the way Anderson is going to start on line 2 this year and score 25.

 

[tazsub3]

Laine has that same potentiel and wont cost a high first like Kirby did as for the mental issues the kid lost his father it hurt him more then most but he was man enough to ask for help and go to the program im fine with that i actually respect it obviously it depends on the price but if he pans out the reward is high he would instantly become our best winger even maybe player nobody can deny his talent he just needs to clear his head and get back to hockey its definitely a risk but one i would be willing to take for the right price

 

[SwiftyHab]

If there’s only one offer on the table then it’s possible teams interviewed after his release form the program and didn’t like what they saw. This could be a blessing in disguise

 

[HabsWhiteKnightLOL]

lol these Anderson back to Columbus comments are absurd. And by the way Anderson is going to start on line 2 this year and score 25.

25 goals? he struggles to make 30 points a season with top 6 icetime

 

[B1g B1rd]

I think he’ll go to the wild. It is quieter. Climate he would understand. Minnesota is very Scandinavian. Not too much pressure. Good team culture as far as I know.

Yep... I agree. But they dont have the CAP flexibility. Can we help?

 

[vokiel]

Acquiring an undervalued 6'4 center with untapped potential is a dumber trade than acquiring a guy who hasn't matched his initial outputs in the league, will be on their third team and just came out of a mental health assistance program while on a contract near 9m a year?

One was a value play with a lot of upside, this would be a reclamation project, and it only makes sense if it was insanely cheap.

Makes it sound great when you put it like that.

How about acquiring a struggling ex- 3rd round pick OA constantly injured who never put up more than 30 points? Potential is marketing crap. One put up, the other one never did anything worthwhile. The issue is we gave a 13th... I wouldn't give anything more, pick-wise, than a late first for Laine.

 

[Habs10Habs]

But he’s coming off shoulder surgery. Can’t predict what that going to do to his shot.

My understanding it was more of a "clean up", then any structural surgery. Either way, I agree with you statement.

 

[DAChampion]

If Laine joins the Habs and produces at a modest 30-30 pace there might not be a single poster here acknowledging that they opposed the acquisition.

Is he willing to concentrate on playing hockey in MSL's system?

What is it about MSL's system that Laine might be reluctant to accept?

 

[Habs10Habs]

It’s still a hockey mad city. It still has lots of jerks who don’t mind making dumb comments when you’re out at the supermarket. That’s not going to change.

That's seriously quite rare LG. More realistic would be if one jerk yelled at a Habs player. 20 other fans would start yelling at the jerk.