Patrik Laine's new injury another hurdle for Columbus Blue Jackets' frustrated forward
Patrik Laine got to his feet, left the ice at Nationwide Arena and made his way down the tunnel leading to the Blue Jackets’ locker room.
He chucked his helmet before entering.
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Moments earlier, after the Jackets had secured a win over the Calgary Flames on Friday night, the 6-foot-5 forward took a cheap shot to the head. It left him sprawled on the ice, face down, as Blue Jackets defenseman Erik Gudbranson administered immediate retribution to Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson, the culprit and his former teammate in Calgary.
Andersson's hit appeared to be vengeful, delivered after he spotted Laine taking aim at an empty net with a few seconds to play. It was an excessive reaction, and now Laine is dealing with the continuation of a narrative he can’t seem to shake. Another injury, more missed games, and a “day-to-day" prognosis for a likely concussion that contains both optimism that it won’t be long-term and uncertainty that it could be.
It may take a few days, a week or longer, and that’s just the injury side of Laine's frustration. Prior to facing the Flames, he'd met with reporters after practice Thursday and beat himself up over a slow offensive start.
“I think it’s, overall, been awful … pretty awful,” Laine said. “Can’t hit the net if my life depended on it. Can’t make any plays. Can’t win a faceoff. I just basically can’t do anything right now, but that’s why we’re here (practicing).”
Those comments and others by Laine drew the attention of coach Pascal Vincent, a big believer in Laine who disagreed with the star’s self-assessment and felt a need to speak with him about it.
“He's hard on himself, really hard, and that’s why he’s one of the best players in the league,” Vincent said. “He hasn’t produced as much (offensively). That part is true. But he’s been creating. He’s had chances. His routes in the defensive zone, when he’s a center, it’s pretty good. So, his own evaluation is on the offense, I would say, which is not producing. ... I don’t agree with his game being ‘awful,’ because he’s doing a lot of good things.”
Now there’s an injury on top of Laine's slow scoring start. It's something he's experienced too often the past two years.
Last season, Laine sustained a sprained elbow in the second period of the season-opener, sprained an ankle not long after returning and missed the season’s last few weeks with a strained triceps. Two seasons ago, he dealt with an oblique strain early, a back injury late and the death of his father in between those absences.
Laine has been through a lot since the Blue Jackets traded Pierre-Luc Dubois in a package deal to acquire him and Jack Roslovic from the Winnipeg Jets on Jan. 23, 2021. Last season, injuries caused Laine to miss 27 games. In 2021-22, he missed 26 games.
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Another factor in his frustration is what Laine has done while healthy, racking up points at nearly a point-per-game pace the past two seasons. Health was the reason he didn't rank among the NHL’s top scorers either season.
That’s why Andersson’s four-game suspension, while a significant number, won’t be consolation if Laine’s out for a longer duration.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Latest injury adds frustration for Columbus Blue Jackets, Patrik Laine
