Blue Jackets GM says locker room events contributed to Patrik Laine trade request
Columbus Blue Jackets General Manager Don Waddell did an interview to TSN Radio yesterday, where he opened up about Patrik Laine's trade request.
The 26 year old Sniper officially requested a trade earlier this year while in the Player Assistance Program for Mental Health reasons. According to Don Waddell, there was things that happened in the locker room, and Laine doesn't wasn't to return there. Waddell said emphatically that Laine does not want to play for the Blue Jackets.
However, navigating a Laine trade is proving to be extremely difficult for the new Blue Jackets GM. Waddell noted there's only two teams interested in Laine, and they're not willing to pay a high price as he's become years removed from his high-scoring days.
Laine hasn't scored more than 30 goals in 6 seasons, but it's clear that he's struggled under Columbus' defensive style of play and lack of elite talent to play with. On another team with a fresh start, it's easy to imagine Laine getting back to scoring 30+ goals, but teams aren't willing to risk paying a high price. Waddell isn't willing to deal Laine for Pennie's on the dollar, so he's trying to get Laine to return to Columbus and raise his trade value with his play.
Last season, Patrik Laine only played 18 games and scored 6 goals and 9 points before entering the Player Assistance Program. According to Spotrac, Laine is paid $8.7M for the next two seasons - an extremely large financial commitment with a significant amount of risk that Laine can't live up to the deal.
Regardless, it seems that Laine is truly demanding to move on from the chapter in his life in Columbus, and will play for a new team in the next season. It'll be interesting to watch if he can get back to his raw goal scoring talent that he broke into the NHL with on a new team.
Source for Laine Stats: HockeyDB
| POLL | ||
Do you think Laine will be able to regain his scoring talent on a new team? | ||
| Yes, he can score 30 again | 55 | 45.1 % |
| No, he won't | 64 | 52.5 % |
| See Results | 3 | 2.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
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