Winnipeg Jets: Three Reasons Patrik Laine Was Traded
The Winnipeg Jets have traded Patrik Laine for Columbus Blue Jackets center Pierre-Luc Dubois in a rare in-season blockbuster trade of two young NHL stars.
As Winnipeg Jets fans went to bed on Friday night, they had dreams or nightmares of never seeing Patrik Laine in a Jets jersey again based on rumors floating about a potential trade to the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Early Saturday morning there was confirmation that Laine had been traded along with holdout Jack Roslovic for Blue Jackets top center Pierre-Luc Dubois and a 2022 third round draft pick.
More. Winnipeg Jets Get Pierre-Luc Dubois in Trade with Blue Jackets. light
Reaction around the NHL has been mixed, with some indicating that Laine has a greater upside and a rarer talent in terms of his goal scoring ability. Others have identified that Dubois is a legitimate top line center which is a position that ultimately is more impactful on a team than a scoring winger.
Early analysis suggests that given that it was publicly known that both players wanted out, both general managers did a good job of dealing with a difficult situation early and maximizing the return.
Kevin Cheveldayoff took questions from the media this morning and based on his responses, here are three reasons why Patrik Laine was ultimately traded.
3. Opportunity and deployment were factors in Patrik Laine wanting a trade
Kevin Cheveldayoff acknowledged that deployment and opportunity in the line up did factor into Laine and his representative’s dissatisfaction with the team, and ultimate trade request.
Cheveldayoff indicated that at the time Laine was drafted there was considerable competition within the Jets team for ice time as they had a good group of young wingers coming up. He stressed that Laine was given opportunity, but that this may not have matched what was desired by Laine and his representatives.
Cheveldayoff also acknowledged that the Jets organization did not feel that Laine and Scheifele were a good fit playing together stressing that they did play together most of last season, and that if you look at the analytics it really wasn’t working.
Cheveldayoff advised that early on in Laine’s career he essentially was not ready for top line minutes in the organization, as is the case with most young players. He also indicated that the organization had, and still has, an abundance of young talent on the wing.
The Jets traded for Paul Stastny essentially to play with Laine this season, but it seems quite clear that Laine and his agent felt that he should still be a top line center.
It will be interesting to see how he fares in Columbus playing with Max Domi who is promoted to top line center with Dubois gone.
2. Playoff success is key for the Jets
When questioned about whether fans should judge Dubois based on the well publicized one effortless shift that led to his benching by coach John Tortorella, Cheveldayoff invited fans to watch video of Dubois in last year’s playoff round (starts at 3:47 of the video).
Dubois had 10 points in 10 playoff games last year facing off against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning. Cheveldayoff stressed that Dubois played extremely well against the likes of Auston Matthews, John Tavares, and Brayden Point.
The Jets lost in last year’s play-in round against the Calgary Flames without top players Mark Scheifele and Patrik Laine. However, most fans and media would agree that being without those players was not the only reason for the loss.
The Jets looked slower, less physical, and were a far cry from the playoff team that went to the Western Conference finals in 2018. I suspect that this was not lost on the Jets management team.
Therefore, despite losing a supremely talented goal scorer, being able to add a legitimate top line center who has demonstrated an ability to play a physical two-way game only helps the Jets’ chances in long playoff series.
1. The Jets value a top line center more than a top winger
Cheveldayoff clearly indicated that he would have only considered trading Laine for a top line center or top pair defenseman, and that he would not have made this trade if he did not think it made the Jets a better team. He stressed that the opportunity to obtain a top line center in the current NHL climate was extremely challenging, which is why other teams were trying so hard to obtain Dubois.
Cheveldayoff described Dubois as a top line center who has strong analytics, drives play and rises to the occasion in big games. Cheveldayoff also stated that Dubois is a better positional fit for the Jets given elite wingers in the organization and with another elite forward coming in Cole Perfetti.
It was very telling that Cheveldayoff commented that the common thread with winning organizations is depth at center. He told the assembled media that having a big two-way center that makes other people around him better was an important factor in winning.
From these comments, while losing a talented scoring winger like Laine is difficult, the organization feels that their Stanley Cup championship potential has improved by adding Pierre-Luc Dubois, a top line two-way center.
Winnipeg Jets Fans: What do you think about the Laine for Dubois trade? Leave your comments below!
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*All Stats Provided by the NHL*