2021 NHL/Miscellaneous News Thread

[andyt]

Apparently the deal is done...

Patrik Laine traded to Blue Jackets in deal that sends Pierre-Luc Dubois to Jets

Laine and Dubois were the Nos. 2 and 3 picks, respectively, in the 2016 draft.

theathletic.com

For those who don’t subscribe to The Athletic, Columbus also sends a 2022 3rd rounder and Winnipeg retains 26% of Laine’s salary.

Dubois has to quarantine for 2 weeks. Laine hasn’t played since January 14 and was placed on IR yesterday with an upper body injury. I thought players on IR couldn’t be traded?

 

[Paulie Walnuts]

Wasn't Vatanen on IR when Canes got him last year?

 

[cmaleski2]

If Laine doesn't sign with Columbus he can be flipped near the trade deadline for a 1st round pick/high end prospect(s) at a minimum. Once we get closer to the deadline a whole lot contenders will have banked enough cap room to be able to add Laine in time for a late season/playoff scoring boost.

 

[HurryCanes]

Eddy throwing some major hands on Tyler Myers.

 

[Paulie Walnuts]

funny stuff

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sports.theonion.com

 

[jeffbear]

I thought players on IR couldn’t be traded?

They can as of 2018.

 

[jeffbear]

If Laine doesn't sign with Columbus he can be flipped near the trade deadline for a 1st round pick/high end prospect(s) at a minimum. Once we get closer to the deadline a whole lot contenders will have banked enough cap room to be able to add Laine in time for a late season/playoff scoring boost.

I mean, yes ... probably. But seeing as Columbus couldn't flip Laine for a high pick at the draft this year ... it's not as simple as it seems. He's a VERY specific player, which requires a trade partner with very specific needs.

 

[cmaleski2]

I just don't get why the thought is that Laine, unhappy in Winnipeg, is going to be happy to sign a long term big money deal in Columbus?

Laine complained about not playing on the top line in Winnipeg. One could argue that Columbus, without Dubois, doesn't have a 1st line center now. I don't know if Laine cares about the market or not, but Columbus is pretty similar to Winnipeg in that regard.

Saying all that, Laine will probably sign a 5 year extension in Columbus. But its hard for me to understand what Laine is actually looking for if he signs long term with the Blue Jackets.

 

[CanadaCanes]

If Laine tries the lazy, pouting routine while Torts is there, that could get uglier than the Dubois situation...which probably means Torts would be the next to go before another star player is traded away. As much as I love Torts for his brutal honesty and sticking to his principals, his coaching style in today's game with todays players almost seems a little dated and out of touch. Laine is a pure goal scorer so he certainly will need a decent center to drive his game in Columbus.

 

[andyt]

Brandon Sutter had his first hat trick last night, becoming the 6th Sutter to do so. They have 19 between them, with his uncle Brian leading the way with 7. His father had 6, Darryl had 3, Rich and Duane had 1 each.

 

[cmaleski2]

Glad to see Brandon have a game like that. He's had a really unlucky go of it in Vancouver due to injuries over the past 5 seasons. Would be great to see him put in a 'full' season again, he's still a 15-20 goal guy and solid checking center if he can only stay healthy.

 

[andyt]

Glad to see Brandon have a game like that. He's had a really unlucky go of it in Vancouver due to injuries over the past 5 seasons. Would be great to see him put in a 'full' season again, he's still a 15-20 goal guy and solid checking center if he can only stay healthy.

He played at least 80 games (48 in the lockout year) from 2010-11 to 2014-15, his last season in Pittsburgh. Since the trade to Vancouver, he’s only done that once, in 2016-17.

 

[andyt]

Golden Knights report at least 1 positive test on the coaching staff so they’re all out. GM Kelly McCrimmon will coach.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1354214854660382722

 

[andyt]

Jack Johnson is trending on Twitter. Rangers fans had an absolute meltdown tonight, he and DeAngelo were paired on D.

 

[cmaleski2]

It hardly seems worth it for the Rangers to burn a year on Alex Lafreniere's entry level contract. They are going absolutely nowhere in that division. That is a decision that will be coming up for them soon. Same thing with Ottawa and Tim Stutzle

 

[andyt]

It hardly seems worth it for the Rangers to burn a year on Alex Lafreniere's entry level contract. They are going absolutely nowhere in that division. That is a decision that will be coming up for them soon. Same thing with Ottawa and Tim Stutzle

Last night was Lafreiere’s 6th game, so they have 1 game left to decide. Since the Q is playing, that’s probably not a bad idea.

 

[jeffbear]

Jack Johnson is trending on Twitter. Rangers fans had an absolute meltdown tonight, he and DeAngelo were paired on D.

I know Quinn's options are limited, but holy cow man ... what did you think was going to happen when you paired those two clowns? Honestly, they're lucky the building didn't implode from the concentrated suckage.

 

[CanadaCanes]

Last night was Lafreiere’s 6th game, so they have 1 game left to decide. Since the Q is playing, that’s probably not a bad idea.

As much as I agree on the sentiment with LaFreniere, I have not saw one article from anyone Nationally or that covers the Rangers that seems to indicate that is even an option this season. It sounds like the Rags have every intention of burning the year and letting him play the duration.

 

[jeffbear]

I assume they're hoping that they'll get a 2nd half out of LaFreniere like they got out of Fox last year, but who knows?

This stuff is a lot more case to case than it used to be, IMO. Jack Hughes looked completely overwhelmed last year, but is perfectly fine now that he took his lumps. Kakko, on the other hand, still looks lost, but based on his off the puck game in the bubble last season I'd be shocked if he didn't come around eventually. Would an extra year in Europe have helped him? I don't think anyone can say for sure. Maybe in this particularly weird year, it's just better to let the kids play closer to hand if they can handle it.

 

[cmaleski2]

Its a tough situation. LaFreniere has little else to prove in the Q so that is a crappy option. They COULD, in theory, move him to the taxi squad so he can practice with the team for the rest of the year and not play him (although, its not clear to me if that is an option since the Q is playing? Maybe not?). They just need to avoid that 8th NHL game played to allow his contract to slide.

But yeah, if no one is talking about it in the NY media, then they seem content to just let him play this out and burn the season of his contract. I would at least be THINKING about the implications of that and whether or not that is the best interest of everyone. I don't care, I would rather they burn the year from competitive advantage standpoint. The Rangers can blow whatever money they want to without hesitating, so they probably are not going to be as thoughtful about this type of thing as the Canes would be.