Patrik Laine trains like a guy who’s back to 100%

Since the beginning of the summer, there’s been a lot of talk about Patrik Laine. The forward, who has asked the Blue Jackets to trade him, is the best target on the market for teams looking for a quality forward.

At $8.7 million a year for the next two seasons, he’s expensive… but when he plays to his full potential, he’s an excellent player.

That said, last season was not an easy one for Laine. Between health problems and a stint in the player assistance program, the Finn scored just nine points in 18 games.

He’s a better player than that… but we understand why some teams are afraid.

The good news, however, is that Laine really does seem to have recovered from his health problems. Recent images of the forward at training show that Laine looks like a guy who’s really back to 100%.

Patrik Laine working out with @doctor_reef pic.twitter.com/6UUrotr3I5

– Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) August 9, 2024

For teams thinking of picking him up via a trade, these are reassuring images. After all, we know that injuries have bothered Laine on more than one occasion in recent years, and seeing him in form right now is reassuring.

Because clearly, it must have worried some teams.

We know that other teams wanted to talk to the Finn because their concerns were mainly related to his current state of mind. Obviously, these images don’t tell us a whole lot about that aspect, but seeing him train like this shows that he’s putting in the hard work in preparation for the coming season.

And in between training sessions, he also had time to propose to his girlfriend. The two got engaged in the last few hours.

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So we’ll see if the images of Laine in training will reassure some teams and speed up the process of a potential deal for his services.

At the very least, I imagine it will encourage at least one second team to feel out the field.