“Things happened in the dressing room that led Patrik Laine to want to leave”

Patrik Laine’s name has been the subject of trade rumours for several weeks now. The Blue Jackets forward, who asked the club to trade him at the start of the summer, was still in Columbus in mid-August.

The fact that he spent a good part of that time in the player assistance program didn’t help Don Waddell trade the Finn, but Laine came out of the program a few weeks ago.

The question now is whether it’s still possible for the Jackets to trade Laine and his contract ($8.7 per year for two years) before the start of the season. At this stage of the off-season, many teams won’t be able to add such a contract to their payroll.

That said, you’d think Laine would still have hope… because according to Don Waddell, Laine isn’t exactly hiding the fact that he’s no longer interested in playing in Columbus.

The GM, who spoke to TSN Overdrive, also talked a bit about the reasons behind the request: he explains that a lot has been going on in the dressing room, and that it probably all led to the transaction request.

Don Waddell on TSN Overdrive talking about Laine (thread):

“He’s been very vocal about it way before I got here that he doesn’t want to play for the Blue Jackets. I think there was a lot of things that went on in the locker room and he just doesn’t want it.” #CBJ

– The CBJ Center (@CBJcenter) August 17, 2024

That’s an interesting comment in the sense that we don’t know exactly what happened. Does it have anything to do with Mike Babcock, who briefly managed the club last year? The question arises.

Another question is whether it’s related to Pascal Vincent. We know that Waddell justified the coach’s dismissal by saying that “things had happened in the dressing room” and that he “had no choice but to act”.

That said, even if this has something to do with the two coaches, we know that both are no longer in place in Columbus. Dean Evason is now in place, but obviously, there really was a major breakdown in the relationship between the player and the organization.

Something similar happened when Laine left Winnipeg, too. Stories surfaced of a toxic climate in the dressing room.

But clearly, then, Laine wants out. Waddell says he talks to teams every day about his player, and that there are currently two or three teams in the process.

That said, if he doesn’t manage to trade him (which is a real possibility), the club expects to see Laine at the team camp… and we’ll have to see how both sides handle it.

“At the end of the day like I told Andy Scott his representation, I can try to do it but if there’s not a deal to be made he’s gonna have to come back here to camp and we’ll welcome him back and try to make the best out of the situation.” #CBJ

– The CBJ Center (@CBJcenter) August 17, 2024

Overtime

– Grant McCagg gives Vinzenz Rohrer some love.

Roher is still a teenager. For him to look as good as he does right now in the Swiss League is good news for the Canadiens. https://t.co/TQhNKmxWzT

– Grant McCagg (@grantmccagg) August 17, 2024