Patrik Laine empties his heart over John Tortorella
Last January, the Columbus Blue Jackets acquired Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovic in exchange for Pierre-Luc Dubois. The Finnish forward joined head coach John Tortorella, and we were sure that sparks would fly. We weren't wrong about that.
Laine recently spoke with the Finnish newspaper Aamulehti and was quick to criticize Tortorella's job, calling the decision not to use his full offensive potential "stupid." Columbus' local newspaper, the Columbus Dispatch, translated it.
"I guess everyone has to have rules, but of course you always hope you can use your strengths. Tortorella wasn't giving anyone freedom. The forwards want to create offensively. You have to "cheat" a little if you want to become the king of scorers. It's not possible if the coaches think differently. But I do what they tell me."
"I understand the need for a tight system, but all players are different. I don't even want to be like everyone else. I am who I am and I do things my way. Everyone has to have the opportunity to be themselves. Then, of course, you have to play in the team's system. I think it's stupid not to use my potential." - Patrik Laine
Tortorella's non-return behind the bench for next season certainly satisfied Laine, but the satisfaction must have only remained for a moment, until his replacement, Brad Larsen, was named. The new head coach was Tortorella's assistant at the time, and on Feb. 8, Laine was kept on the bench by Tortorella for the entire third period of the game against the Carolina Hurricanes because of a disrespectful comment directed at... Larsen.
It doesn't look like things will get any better for Laine next season... Laine is currently an independent player with compensation, which means that his rights are still with the Blue Jackets. He will have to come to an agreement with the Blue Jackets this summer or leave via a trade if he doesn't want to play in Columbus...
