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Patrik Laine says some Columbus Blue Jackets were 'too comfortable' losing
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- Patrik Laine says some Columbus Blue Jackets were 'too comfortable' losing
Patrik Laine returned to Nationwide Arena on Monday for the first time since his requested offseason trade sent him to the Montreal Canadiens .
The former Blue Jackets forward , who was named the NHL's third star of the week for a hat trick and five goals last week, has rebounded from a preseason knee injury and returned to Columbus with a few strong opinions about the past four years.
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"It's like I said in interviews when I signed (a contract extension in Columbus) , that, you know, I love being here and it's going great and I don't want to leave, and, obviously, things happened and that was kind of it for me," Laine said Monday. "I feel like we were just doing the same thing year after year, you know? I was just tired of losing and just giving up when it's December and we'll start focusing on next year. It's like, 'I'm not going to do that,' you know?"
Dec 7, 2024; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens right wing Patrik Laine (92) looks on during the third period against the Washington Capitals at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images
Laine's four seasons with the Blue Jackets were riddled with injuries that hampered his output and the Blue Jackets' success. He wasn't available for large parts of each season for various reasons, and it culminated with a fractured collarbone last December that led to Laine missing the rest of the season after entering the NHL/NHL Players Association's player assistance program .
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Prior to being cleared in the offseason, he requested that new Blue Jackets president of hockey operations/general manager Don Waddell grant him a trade. It wasn't easy, but Waddell found a deal that met his requirements in August. He sent Laine and the full amount of his final two contract years ($18.2 million in salary, $8.7 million annual salary cap charge) to Montreal for defenseman Jordan Harris .
Laine, acquired along with Jack Roslovic in a trade that sent Pierre-Luc Dubois to the Winnipeg Jets in January 2021, had no interest in seeing what might happen with a new Blue Jackets GM plus a new head coach in Dean Evason. Without stating specifics, he shared more about his logic after the Canadiens' morning skate Monday.
More: Columbus Blue Jackets trade Patrik Laine to Montreal Canadiens for Jordan Harris
Dec 21, 2024; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens forward Patrik Laine (92) prepares for a face off against the Detroit Red Wings during the second period at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
It came down to unnamed people within the Blue Jackets who are "too comfortable," losing.
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"That's just frustrating as a player, when you're trying to win and some people are not like that and they're a little too satisfied and a little too comfortable with where they're at," Laine said. "So that really wasn't a fit for me anymore. But here (in Montreal), it doesn't matter if we're winning or losing. We're always trying our best ... so, that's kind of how I felt about it."
Laine declined to specify whether his issues were mainly with teammates, coaches, staff, members of the front office or all of the above.
"I'll leave that for everybody's imagination," he said, "but there were certainly people like that, that were a little too comfortable and fine with losing and just doing the same thing year after year. So, I'm going to leave that up for discussion for everybody else."
Dec 21, 2024; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens forward Patrik Laine (92) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the Detroit Red Wings during the first period at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
That wasn't all he said about the Blue Jackets.
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Shortly after entering the NHL/NHLPA program last season, Laine's absence became the subject of distasteful comments made on a podcast that drew a response from the forward on social media. Judging from his comments when told that a segment of Blue Jackets fans appear happy to see him doing well, Laine clearly hasn't forgiven or forgotten those who aren't as thrilled.
"It's great to see some of the fan base (sees) me happy, but the other ones, I don't really care what you guys think," he said. "It's great to be back to playing and obviously winning as a team. That's fun. That's why we do this, and I'm just, overall, enjoying playing and that's about it."
That was the general theme of his commentary. Montreal and scoring goals is wonderful, unlike Columbus.
"I had some ups and downs (with the Blue Jackets)," Laine said. "I don't want to get into that too much, but, yeah, some things probably could've been handled better. Some things were great, and some were not so great, but I'm having the time of my life here (in Montreal), so I don't really want to get into that too much."
Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Patrik Laine (29) skates towards the face-off against Chicago Blackhawks during the first period of their NHL game at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio on April 12, 2021.
As for whether he thinks booing awaits?
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"No clue," Laine said. "I mean, not that I've lost any sleep over it, you know? Hopefully, it's positive. If it's not, I don't really care. If guys are going to be (ticked) off and bitter about something, then that's your issue. I'm having a great time regardless, and I don't really care what other people are saying. We'll see. It'll be interesting.
"I don't think I have been (booed) but it'll be cool. It'll be cool to shut 'em down. There's always idiots who do that, but hopefully not the entire building with everything I did here that was good for the community and for the team. If somebody feels like they want to boo, then I feel like they've got bigger issues going on than me coming back here."
Dec 20, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Montreal Canadiens right wing Patrik Laine (92) handles the puck during the first period against the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bradshaw Sevald-Imagn Images
The Blue Jackets (13-15-6, 32 points) are one point ahead of the Canadiens (14-16-3, 31 points) in the Eastern Conference standings. Laine hopes to flip that around in a town he's trying to forget.
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"It's always fun to pay attention to friends and how they're doing, but overall, as a team, I don't think I've watched a (Blue Jackets) game," Laine said. "You still pay attention to how they're doing, but I know if we win, we're going to jump 'em, so that'd be awesome ... and leave 'em behind."
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Patrik Laine lambasts Columbus Blue Jackets for tolerance of losing
