Laine scraping off some rust Jets winger's zingers in fine form, but game needs some work By: Mike McIntyre Posted: 7:15 PM CDT Wednesday, Jul. 15, 2020

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This article was published 14/07/2020 (1528 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

I’m not sure what was better — the wicked wrister Patrik Laine used to score on goalie Eric Comrie during practice Wednesday, or the blistering shot he took at good buddy Nikolaj Ehlers when asked about the gorgeous, no-look, behind-the-back pass that found him all alone in the slot.

“That was all me. You always need somebody who puts it in the back of the net. The play dies if I don’t score, so that’s all me,” Laine deadpanned following his team’s third day of summer training at Bell MTS Iceplex.

It’s safe to say Laine’s usual wit is in fine form, even if he admits it’s going to take a bit more time to get himself up to speed on the ice following a four-month layoff due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Along with several other Finnish players, he took a charter to New York a couple weeks ago, then jumped on a plane to Minneapolis and drove the rest of the way to Winnipeg in time for a week-long quarantine prior to camp.

“Still kind of far away. It’s kind of hard to see myself playing playoff hockey in two weeks, but just try to make the most out of it and try to be as well prepared as I and as we can, and just try to work hard these next couple of weeks so we’ll be ready when the puck drops,” said Laine, who noted his golf game is in pretty good shape and down to a five handicap.

The Jets will face off against the Calgary Flames in a best-of-five qualifying round series beginning Aug. 1 in the hub city of Edmonton. The play of Laine, who was on pace for a career-high in points prior to the pandemic pause, will likely go a long way to determining Winnipeg’s ultimate fate.

With Laine, Ehlers, captain Blake Wheeler, centre Mark Scheifele and leading goal scorer Kyle Connor, the Jets have one of the deepest top five forward groups in the league. Laine, with 28 goals and a career-best 35 assists in 68 games, can be an instant game-breaker with the flick of his wrists.

“It’s been a pretty good season. All the stats and ice times have been up, but always looking for more responsibilities and try to be worth it. I think I’ve been able to show everybody that I’m capable of playing top minutes and against top players. Hopefully I’m going to get more responsibilities in the future and just try to be worth it,” he said.

Whether Laine ultimately gets what he feels is his true worth is another question entirely. While Connor grabbed a seven-year, US$50-million deal last fall, Laine opted for a two-year bridge contract that pays him US$6.75 million per season. In essence, he was betting on himself and the belief that a much bigger payday would be down the road.

But that was pre-COVID, when the salary cap was expected to grow significantly. Now, the best-case scenario is for it to remain flat for the coming years, and that could put the squeeze on players such as Laine.

If he’s sweating it, the Finnish sniper isn’t showing it.

“I just work here. I don’t worry about it too much,” said Laine, who added he barely paid any attention to the details of last week’s four-year CBA extension that runs through the 2025-26 season and includes a financial blueprint for the future. He’s quite content to leave the heavy lifting to his agent.

“No idea… didn’t check it out at all. So I have no idea what’s in there. I only saw the escrows, but that’s pretty much it. Wasn’t too into it,” he said.

Laine did take note of the fact NHL players will participate in the 2022 and 2026 Olympics after not being allowed to go in 2018.

“It’s awesome. I haven’t been able to go to the Olympics yet, so that was definitely great news. That’s already exciting for me and obviously for everybody as well. So yeah, looking forward to that tournament for sure — if I make the team,” he said.

Yeah, pretty sure you don’t have to worry about that, Patrik.

“That’s the dream, to play in the Olympics, it doesn’t matter which sport. Obviously been to the world championships once, done all the world juniors and stuff, so that would be kind of the next step in a Finnish jersey. That would be pretty sweet,” said Laine.

Laine is still adjusting to another in a long line of new centres to play with, this time in the form of trade-deadline acquisition Cody Eakin. Along with Ehlers, the trio developed some chemistry as the Jets rattled off four straight wins before the season came to a halt.

“He’s a great player. I think he was a good addition, something we definitely needed since (Bryan Little) has been out. So that was great for us and he’s been on some winning teams, so that’s good for us,” said Laine.

And now the focus for Laine is on getting his on-ice game as sharp as his off-ice one is.

“I don’t think we’re going to worry too much about the Flames. We’re just going to play our game. It’s going to be different hockey but we’re all in the same boat. Just try to worry about what we’re going to do out there and not worry too much about what they’re going to do. That’s the way we’re going to be successful.”

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.

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