Winnipeg will be good: Laine vows to ‘score a lot of goals’ By: Mike McIntyre Posted: 7:00 PM CDT Monday, Sep. 30, 2019 Last Modified: 8:38 PM CDT Monday, Sep. 30, 2019 Updates

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 29/09/2019 (1872 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It wouldn’t have been surprising to see a more humble version of Patrik Laine on the podium Monday, one who would tread carefully about making any bold statements or bulletin-board type proclamations.

After all, the last time he opened his mouth with the media, he created a bit of an international incident that included having to make a long-distance apology to teammates. Surely, with a new contract now in hand and, perhaps, a few fences still left to mend, the result would be a toned-down approach. No doubt the Jets’ extremely busy PR department, which has already had to put out a few fires in recent weeks, would love the break.

But there was the 21-year-old Finnish sniper entering the Matt Frost Media Centre at Bell MTS Place still full of swagger, displaying the kind of confidence — some might say cockiness — that has made him one of the most interesting characters in a league that is often filled with bland, cliche-spouting cookie-cutter personalities.

“I know that I will be good for the next two years. I’m going to score a lot of goals, that’s for sure,” Laine said, without a hint of apprehension in his voice.

As the saying goes: Big, if true.

Fresh off signing a two-year contract that will pay him an average salary of US$6.75 million per season, Laine said a bridge deal always made the most sense for both him and the Jets — but suggested he’s really going to make the team pay when it expires after the 2020-21 season and he’s once again a restricted free agent, this time with arbitration rights and only two years remaining until unrestricted free agency.

“I’ve always trusted myself and this is no exception. I’m going to be betting on myself in these two years,” said Laine, who was rumoured at various points this summer to be seeking something in the range of US$10 million per season.

Rather than recoil in horror at the thought, with visions of even more salary cap headaches down the road, Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said the organization would gladly shell out bigger bucks down the road if it means Laine has taken his game to another level.

“Absolutely. 100 per cent. I can’t wait for him to do those kind of things,” Cheveldayoff said. “The best problem I can ever have is a challenge to try and fit people into a cap. When you’ve got good players, that’s awesome to have. We hope and certainly expect for him to continue on the great trajectory that he’s had.”

“I’ve always trusted myself and this is no exception. I’m going to be betting on myself in these two years.”
– Patrik Laine

Laine’s whirlwind weekend included travelling from Switzerland, where he’s been working out with a pro team, back to Finland, and then flying to Winnipeg late Sunday in what amounted to about a 22-hour travel day. Before the focus shifts entirely to hockey, there was still a bit of business to take care of. He sat down with the coaching staff, completed his medicals and fitness testing, then got in a quick twirl at Bell MTS Place on what was otherwise an off-day for his teammates.

“Obviously, it took longer than everybody wanted to, but that’s just the situation that it was. Now, I’m super excited and happy to be here. My summer was way too long and we’ll try to make it shorter next year,” Laine said, a reference to being eliminated last April in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Laine has 110 goals through his first three NHL seasons, but is coming off his least-productive campaign, with 30 goals and 20 assists. The frustration was obvious at various points, especially down the stretch as the Jets ultimately faded and had a promising season end with a whimper.

That led to plenty of whispers Laine was an unhappy camper who might just be looking for the nearest exit. He caused some ripples during the off-season with a pair of interviews from Finland in which he seemed lukewarm to the idea of committing to Winnipeg long-term. In a recent newspaper piece, Laine questioned why he wasn’t spending more time on Winnipeg’s top line with Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler in five-on-five play, suggesting other teams would have him skating with their best players.

That was seen as a slight towards his usual centre, Bryan Little. Laine called Little earlier this month to apologize, but was hesitant to say much more on the matter Monday.

“I’m not going to try to explain it here. That’s something that happened and there were things I didn’t say and there were some wrong conclusions. I didn’t mention anybody by name. (The writer) made his own conclusions. Stuff like that happens. You’ve got to move on and those are my comments on that,” said Laine.

“Absolutely. 100 per cent. I can’t wait for him to do those kind of things… We hope and certainly expect for him to continue on the great trajectory that he’s had.”
– Winnipeg Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff

However, his agent Mike Liut recently admitted they had some issues with the Jets — and the Jets with Laine — that emerged during extended contract discussions, which finally ended with some compromise and middle ground being discovered at the end of last week.

The situation was at least serious enough to prompt coach Paul Maurice to fly to Finland this summer for some one-on-one time with Laine. It apparently went a long way to getting back on the same page and, perhaps, his name on a new contract.

“It was a great move from him to come over there and talk and talk about last year and talk about the future. I had great talks with him. We both want to be better,” said Laine. “It’s a different team this year, but we’ll be good when the season starts. It was great meeting and it was a lot of fun.”

I asked Laine if he needed to clear the air any further going forward — or if it’s all water under the bridge now.

“I don’t think so. I’m happy to be here and everybody seems happy that I’m here. So that’s it. It’s a new season, everything has happened and it’s awesome to be here with my teammates, coaches, and staff,” he said. “It’s awesome to be here to start the new season with a fresh, clean table. It’s fun to start the season on Thursday.”

Laine can be a one-man emotional roller-coaster, depending largely on how often he’s filling NHL nets. When it’s going good — as it was last November when he lit the lamp 18 times — he’s on top of the world. When the going gets tough — as it did for large stretches of the season — he can take on an Eeyore-like persona, coming down harder on himself than any coach, teammate or fan.

That’s just who he is, and he’s never shied away from sharing his views, good or bad, publicly. But if the Jets are going to get the best out of Laine, they need him feeling both comfortable on the ice, and in his own skin.

Fortunately, it appears to be all systems go on both fronts. Laine will be a full participant Tuesday and Wednesday in practice before flying to New York and being in the opening-night lineup against the Rangers. Nagging groin and back issues from last season are gone, and Laine said extra skating time this summer plus training the past couple weeks in Switzerland has him ready to hit the ground running despite missing training camp.

“Everybody knows that it was a tough year for me and for the team. It was not the way that we wanted to end the season. For me, the last two months or month-and-a-half, I was playing good hockey. That’s something I’ve got to keep doing from Thursday and on. That’s something that I’ve been focusing on this summer. I need (to show) consistency. I’ve focused more on my five-on-five play and that’s something I’ve got to focus on when the season starts on Thursday,” said Laine.

As we’ve seen in the past, a confident Laine is a productive Laine. And now you also have a motivated Laine, one who seems eager to prove his critics wrong and silence those who say he’s just a one-trick pony — even if it’s a pretty good trick.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s a two-year deal or an eight-year deal, I’ve got to be better. I still want to score. Nothing is going to change, I still have to play the same way if it’s a longer deal or a bridge deal. I’ve just got to still score, find new ways to score, add some consistency and we’ll be fine,” he said.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg

Mike McIntyre
Sports columnist

Mike McIntyre grew up wanting to be a professional wrestler. But when that dream fizzled, he put all his brawn into becoming a professional writer.

   Read full biography