EDMONTON. Patrik Laine in every way, the extraordinary career story is full of twists and turns. In North America, it was reported earlier in the week that the striker from Tampere had asked the club for a transfer to another place.
Laine, who is in the third level of the NHL’s treatment program, made the decision a long time ago. Even the paint stick in Columbus’s apartment was put up for sale already in the winter.
Laine is asking for a transfer to another club for the second time in his career. In Laine’s camp, dissatisfaction with the situation in Winnipeg grew a little before entering the 2020s.
In the end, the club traded their Finnish player to Columbus in exchange for a Canadian promise to Pierre-Luc Dubois. This had not found common ground with the head coach of Columbus at the time by John Tortorella with.
There isn’t much time
There is no doubt that Laine needs a new start in his career. GM Kevin Cheveldayoff could not have traded Laine in the winter of 2020 to a more difficult place.
The union of Laine, Tortorella and Columbus was not made in heaven. Things went wrong on the first day and the parties never recovered from it.
Laine also experienced a lot in the city off the ice. The sudden death of a close father and the subsequent difficulties in her personal life are certainly a heavy burden for Lainee to carry in Ohio.
Laine is clearly on the sidelines as a hockey player. There is not much time to correct the course if Laine dares to call himself an NHL player in the future. The man from Tappara quickly needs a new start elsewhere.
It’s easy to throw exceptional talents like Laine here and there on paper, but the reality is different. Moving Laine to Colorado’s No. 1 chain with two superstars (Mikko Rantanen & Nathan MacKinnon) to the side does not solve the problems that have brought him to this situation.
The same faded oatmeal plate that he left on the table in Winnipeg and Columbus will be hit in front of Laine in the new club. Before a quality steak with red wine is served, the oatmeal must be shoveled down.
In Finnish, this means that Laine has to make a fundamental research journey into her own soul. First, Laine should figure out what kind of hockey player and athlete he wants to be.
Based on various reports, it is clear that homework has been overdue for a long time. The summer of 2023 alone passed Lainee in a worrying way.
So, after a broken season and summer, Laine came to the ending season from a clear back journey. This season also ended with an injury and finally applying for a treatment program.
According to my own understanding, Laine has not kicked in a new gear in terms of training during the treatment program. And of course there is no need, if other circumstances do not provide such a basis. People first.
Can you find the flame?
If Laine intends to return to the elite level in the NHL, he will have to find a level and tempo to do everything after the treatment program, which the Tesoman has not played sports with so far in his life.
In the case of Laine, the first thing we talk about is bringing physics to the top level. Has Laine put in enough hours to work on her skating, for example?
Laine is spoken of as Tesoma’s tiger, but after all, one could ask, does this one have the eye of a tiger, which is required to rise to the absolute top? Laine doesn’t belong there.
Due to the constant injuries and the ever-increasing back distance, the situation is starting to be truly alarming. In 2024, the NHL will be a completely different world and game than in 2018, when Laine finished second in the goal exchange.
Laine has to make an almost complete turn as an athlete. This is exactly the oatmeal. When it has been eaten with piety, we can start talking about the possibility of a steak dinner.
It’s a different matter, does the porridge taste good to Lainee. It’s good to remember that Laine is a 26-year-old player who has experienced a lot and earned several tens of millions of dollars after the contract expires in a year.
When you think about how quickly Laine rose to the top of the nation and even in the NHL, and with what a rush he has come down from there, it is not a big wonder if the youngster burned out at some point.
At the same time, the player has found a new love in the United States and is reportedly planning to buy an apartment on the east coast. It’s easy to imagine how Laine has enjoyed a situation where her name is not in the headlines on a daily basis and she doesn’t have to be constantly giving the media an explanation for anything. Last spring must have been a good time for the player.
If things don’t work in the new environment, how much gas is left in Laine’s NHL tank? Without a single tooth and horn, it can be stated that Laine has not reached the top level after the Winnipeg years.
Twice the player has requested a transfer away from the club. The stakes are huge in a new club. The speeches are now on Lainea – I would like to say some speeches.
First things first
It is still important to remember that Laine is still in the NHL’s treatment program, where there are much more important things at work than hockey. Laine is a really pleasant, polite and funny gentleman, for whom you can only wish the best in everything.
When talking about hockey, the coming summer and autumn, a new club, the realism is raw. No club, coach or chain friends can save Patrik Lainet.
That oatmeal. Laine has to eat it alone.