The news that never does truly die, does it? Since the end of days in Winnipeg, there’s been a true and personal connection between the Los Angeles Kings and current Columbus Blue Jackets winger Patrik Laine, and that being the city desires to play in. In inaugural rumor mills for Laine, the Kings and Ducks seemed to be two teams calling for Laine through no end, given both teams had the pieces of a blockbuster then. Still is the same in 2022, with a different team, and a different direction. In yet another restricted year for the Finnish forward, the talks have cranked up while contract talk seems silent, as other deals have been brought in.
Organizationally, the franchise is doing everything in its power to entice the young goal scorer to remain with the club, from bringing in friends and teammates, to dishing the money out to hometown players to show what they can take to keep players that want to be here. Even personal attraction to the city has come out from Laine’s closest people to him.
The short term future in Columbus is growth and development, with picks 6 and 12 coming up in the 2022 draft, while having picks 5, 12, and 27 in 2021 (Johnson, Sillinger, Culeumans). Other teams that have been in discussions with Columbus about his future have been the Islanders and Panthers, aside from the two SoCal teams.
Biggest question is what it takes to pull it off, while Columbus moved Pierre-Luc Dubois and a 2022 3rd for Laine and Roslovic, this may be a bigger deal with this manager. Kekalainen has proven to not be afraid to pull the trigger, nothing the deals done to move Jones, Anderson, Domi, and Atkinson in recent note, while also adding Duchene, Dzingel, McQuaid, and Kinkaid in 2019.
What does each team give up for the present Laine, while preparing a new contract for future Laine?
Additional Notes:
1. Great hire! Trent Vogelhuber becomes the new bench boss for the Cleveland Monsters. The former Jackets player and Monsters’ player assumes to position after a short search for the farm system. This adds him to the former players in the organization, with Nash, Lestesu, Dorrsett, and Thiessen already aboard.
2. Hometown Help. Jack Roslovic has signed a two year, $8M dollar context extension with Columbus that will see him become an unrestricted free agent in the 2024 offseason. Expect top six minutes full time for him after a slow start to the Larsen system.
3. Former CBJ futures. Talk that former first rounder Derrick Brassard will be hanging up the skates. After just missing teams’ best runs, there is talk he may call it after a deep run with the Edmonton Oilers. Reversely, the Colorado Avalanche have signed former Jackets’ center Lukas Sedlak to a one year deal. Additionally, the Los Angeles Kings have extended forward TJ Tynan to a two year extension to remain in California.
4. Torts is Back! In a new organization, which will be the team to watch the first half of the season for sure. John Tortorella is expected to be named the newest head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers before the end of the weekend, reuniting him with Cam Atkinson in the City of Brotherly Love.
5. Tarasov Got Term… the future of the Columbus backend got an interesting three year extension at a cap hit of $1.05M per season, while they already have Merzlikins and Korpisalo under contact. Not sure why three multimillion dollar goaltenders on your roster, but he would get the most minutes in Cleveland for another season, unless they move Korpisalo.
More is coming…
Columbus Blue Jackets Blogger • 
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