Patrik Laine Questions His Coach in Latest Interview
The Columbus Blue Jackets - in their second season under Brad Larsen - sit at the bottom of the NHL's leaderboards with a record of 4-9-0. The Jackets have the worst goal-differential in the NHL with -22 and after today's news, they have a solid case for worst team in the NHL.
Frustration must be setting in, as the team has had virtually zero success this season, save a 5-2 win over Philadelphia last night. With the exception of Johnny Gaudreau, Boone Jenner and Zach Werenski (out for the season), no one on the roster is really contributing. Patrik Laine, who signed a $35 million contract this summer, has accounted for 4 points through seven games played; just two goals.
In a recent interview with Finnish podcast Kimanttia, Laine offered a less than encouraging tidbit on head coach Brad Larsen and the team's approach to generating offense. Apparently, at a recent practice the team didn't take any shots on net, simply dumping pucks in and working on the forecheck.
It is evident that Laine's skillset is not that of a 'dump & chase' type of player, and his talents are underutilized in such a system. Obviously, it is wearing on the Finnish sniper.
Brad Larsen, who succeeded John Tortorella once his contract was up, has an NHL head coaching record of 41-47-7 through two seasons with Columbus; he served as an assistant since 2014 and has been with the club in a coaching role since 2010.
The Jackets are clearly in a rebuild, so perhaps this is the perfect time for him to be behind the bench. Now missing Zach Werenski, Jakub Voracek, and Nick Blankenburg each to long-term injuries, the Blue Jackets are a shoe-in for a top draft selection in this summer's draft. Which features several potential franchise-altering talents.
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 11 | 124 ANSWERS Patrik Laine Questions His Coach in Latest Interview Is Patrik Laine destined for a trade out of Columbus? | ||
| Yes | 73 | 58.9 % |
| No | 51 | 41.1 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Kyle Connor | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Alex Tuch | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Owen Power | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Michael Bunting | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Drew Helleson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jirí Kulich | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Isac Lundestrom | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Vladislav Namestnikov | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Nino Niederreiter | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Gabriel Vilardi | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jason Zucker | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Leo Carlsson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Nikolaj Ehlers | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Ross Johnston | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Evgeni Malkin | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Josh Morrissey | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Cole Perfetti | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Bryan Rust | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Mark Scheifele | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Trevor Zegras | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 20 | 17 | 3 | - | 34 | |
Wild | 19 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 29 | |
Hurricanes | 19 | 14 | 5 | - | 28 | |
Devils | 22 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 28 | |
Capitals | 19 | 13 | 5 | 1 | 27 | |
Golden Knights | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 26 | |
Maple Leafs | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 26 | |
Rangers | 18 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 25 | |
Panthers | 20 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 25 | |
Flames | 20 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 25 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||