It seems that not all is well between superstar forward Patrik Laine and his current National Hockey League organization, and you could certainly infer that much from the down year he just had as am member of that organization.
It would be a shock to see Laine playing for any team other than the Winnipeg Jets this early on in his NHL career however on Saturday The Fourth Period's David Pagnotta suggested that is indeed what the future may hold for Laine during a radio hit on the NHL's station on Siruis/XM satellite radio. Pagnotta was actually discussing the possibility of a Jacob Trouba trade when he revealed that he had information suggesting that Laine was no longer happy with his current situation in Winnipeg.
"I don't know if that is the only main guy that they might be looking to move, or might have to look to move," said Pagnotta during the radio segment. "There is a lot of discrepancy in Patrik Laine's desire to be there, ala Jacob Trouba."
Now that is of course just a statement made during a radio hit and perhaps one could think that Pagnotta merely added a little extra mustard for the sake of the radio segment but that does not appear to be the case. A written piece that has now been publish on The Fourth Period's website goes into even more detail regarding Laine's unhappiness and goes so far as to suggest that he could force the Jets' hand should he not get what he is looking for. Additionally this information has reportedly been corroborated by multiple sources which would appear to suggest that there is meat on the bone here.
From The Fourth Period's report:
However, if contract talks fail to get off in the right direction, multiple sources close to the situation have told TFP Editor-in-Chief David Pagnotta that Laine is willing to explore all of his options and that includes the possibility of signing an offer sheet with another club or asking for a trade. Pagnotta reported the news on Saturday afternoon during “Off The Rush” on NHL Network Radio on SiriusXM.
This of course would be a catastrophic situation for the Jets, although the team has shown a willingness to move unruly players in the past. Fans in Winnipeg will still vividly remember the trade of star forward Evander Kane and considering how well that deal worked out for the organization there may be more of an appetite from that particular fan base for another trade involving an unhappy star forward.
