Thomas Townsend: Laine Debate

This team will be fine once they kick Torts to the curb.

49 goals since December 2018. This done with 1st line PP minutes and with top centermen, no shortage of ice-time, no significant injuries, one playoff round. Approximately 160 games played with those circumstances.

Until he changes his mindset and puts in the work he is - AT BEST - a PP specialist. Still young enough to improve but as is it is a stretch to call him a 25 goal scorer if given only the icetime that he earns.

Trade his ass for whatever you can get.

Being willing to move Werenski in order to accommodate Laine? Wowzers.

This team will be fine once they kick Torts to the curb.
- Udogs

Ya that'll turn things around. When has Torts ever won.....

Anyway. You are only as good as your contract. If Laine signed a deal with a 3.5M AAV, eveyone would say you guys won the trade with the Jets. However, he was rumored to be looking north of 8M AAV when in talks with the Jets. Obviously that made him a liability that Winnipeg did not want to deal with.

Now its your turn. I assume Laine will get paid decently, but what do you guys feel his next contract should be?

He’s non-committed to the Jackets, ship him him to LA for Iafallo. He will never conform to Torts.

49 goals since December 2018. This done with 1st line PP minutes and with top centermen, no shortage of ice-time, no significant injuries, one playoff round. Approximately 160 games played with those circumstances.

Until he changes his mindset and puts in the work he is - AT BEST - a PP specialist. Still young enough to improve but as is it is a stretch to call him a 25 goal scorer if given only the icetime that he earns.

Trade his ass for whatever you can get.
- 2.0

Yeah at best he is Thomas Vanek 2.0

If i'm Columbus it all depends if they change the coach or not. I would keep Laine and pay him but if Torts stays then it might be better off trading Laine but they better get something big back. It's almost like they need to do a trade like Laine for PLD again because they need a top center even if they trade Laine. Could they make a package around Laine to bring back a player like Eichel back? Maybe they go after young players/prospects but they better get grade A prospects or top picks.

Laine is Jimmy Carson v2.0.

Both piqued at 19 years old! The big debate in Winnipeg was that he needed a special center to become a special player. Now I am hearing he needs a special head coach as well. After that we will be hearing about how Laine also needs a special goalie to get him going!

If werenski is available LA is on the phone right away.

It depends not on a 1st line or even 'complementary center' as you describe, but on the coaching direction.

If Torts stays, Laine goes. If Torts is done, either by retirement or firing, you extend Laine. You can trade him after the contract. Any team knows what they will have to pay him, at least the work is done.

I still think Columbus and Buffalo would make excellent trade partners right now. Let's do a hockey trade:

Laine, Jenner, Gavrikov, 2022 1st

for

Reinhart, Olofsson, Ristolainen, 2022 2nd, 2022 4th

Eh? Buffalo loves fat contract players. Then Buffalo can dangle that 2022 1st to Seattle to take Skinner or Okposo in the expansion draft.

Riley Nash traded for a 7th rounder.

Couldn't have gotten a 6th?

Yeesh.

You trade Laine because you will have a hard time finding a Center for him to play with and if you do find one, he will hate playing with the lazy one trick pony.

You trade Laine because you will have a hard time finding a Center for him to play with and if you do find one, he will hate playing with the lazy one trick pony.
- bennythehat

No lie. If werenski is available. LA could trade Turcotte +. LA gm has said hes looking for a LH d.

Ya that'll turn things around. When has Torts ever won.....

Anyway. You are only as good as your contract. If Laine signed a deal with a 3.5M AAV, eveyone would say you guys won the trade with the Jets. However, he was rumored to be looking north of 8M AAV when in talks with the Jets. Obviously that made him a liability that Winnipeg did not want to deal with.

Now its your turn. I assume Laine will get paid decently, but what do you guys feel his next contract should be?
- bikeguy99

I’m pretty sure that the qualifying offer to maintain his NHL rights has to be about $8 million

With disappointing returns and continuing decline it is likely Laine will be compelled to sign a bridge deal. Based on his stats over the past year it seems unlikely Laine or his agent will choose arbitration, so I anticipate a 2-year deal worth about 5.5 mil per season.

Once Torts is gone, I anticipate Laine will return to his previous form, which will make this short contract a steal for the Jackets.

Laine is not going to resign with CBJ. Get some value for him while he still has some

Laine is not going to resign with CBJ. Get some value for him while he still has some
- mgriffen

They control his rights. so hes limited

They control his rights. so hes limited
- poisondhearts37

They control his rights if they make a qualifying offer which has to be at least as much as his current salary 6.5mil. No qualifying offer and he then becomes a ufa. If he rejects the offer he had to sign before Dec1st to play in next season or sign an offer sheet.

I’m pretty sure that the qualifying offer to maintain his NHL rights has to be about $8 million
- 2.0

Wow. For the sake of Jackets fans, I hope that is not the case. Great trigger, but he needs great guys focused on feeding him the puck. Otherwise, this current season is what you can expect to see from him going forward.

They control his rights if they make a qualifying offer which has to be at least as much as his current salary 6.5mil. No qualifying offer and he then becomes a ufa. If he rejects the offer he had to sign before Dec1st to play in next season or sign an offer sheet.
- 2.0

yeah but zero chance they dont qualify him. unless hes traded. but at the end of the day. they control his furture.

7.5 is the QO. He'll get it. Torts' contract is also up, time to move on. 30 goal scorers dont grow on trees.

Any chance of this team moving forward next year is Torts has to be gone. This season he has stunted any potential for growth.
Also - if Jarmo doesn't trade Foligno it's a great disservice to the team. And if Foligno was a "team player" he'd realize that his trade would return high picks/prospects that would help. I believe he (his agent) and Jarmo have talked about re-signing this summer, so he would return. However, he's turning 34 in October, so 3 yrs @ $4MM per, is too much. I think 2 yrs @ $2.5 - 3MM per, is appropriate. And using him on the 3rd line is a stretch - Stenlund would be a much better fit for the team in that spot. (Stenlund (or Kukan) will be gone to Seattle.)
Harrington in the top 8 D is way wrong. In the top-6 is laughable. Lehtonen & Peeke are perfectly capable of stepping in if Z is the main piece in a 1C trade. DelZ could also be brought back, as he even said he'd like to be part of the team. Even use Carlsson before Harrington.
Speaking of Z , with the caveat of extending Jones, tradeing Z + (Elvis or Korpi) + one of (Tex/Foudy/Bemstrom) + would bring an A-tier 1C (maybe Eichel). Jarmo didn't bring in Laine just to turn around and trade him for a 1C equivalent he just traded away.
Your D pairings are a little skewed - but that can be worked out in pre-season.

Torts moving on just means Laine needs a new problem to find.

2-7-1 last 10

Sell, sell, sell!

Foligno, Domi, Savard, Texier, Foudy, have to consider anyone at this point.

Have to figure out the direction of the team this summer.