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Report: Patrik Laine is not expected to apply to arbitration


Blue Jackets have had a great season so far, with signed of the Johnny Gaudreau
and
Erik Gudbrason attract special attention. Now that free agency has stabilized, the focus in Columbus has shifted to the situation with the limited free agent winger Patrick Laine.

The 24-year-old striker has just two years left of unrestricted free agency and has the option of applying for arbitration, receiving two (possibly expensive) arbitration awards and then becoming free agency in 2024.

Columbus has a history of talented strikers leaving free agency (Artemi Panarin protruding like a recent example) so it is conceivable that the Columbus market will watch the Laine situation intensely in the hope that history does not repeat itself. In this case, Blue Jackets fans have reason to breathe a sigh of relief. Laine and his agents, by Aaron Portzline of The Athleticwill not submit an application to arbitration before the 5 p.m. deadline on Sunday.

That’s important news, as it’s a confirmation that both Blue Jackets and Laine are seriously committed to finding a contractual solution to keep Laine at Columbus for the long term. Laine has played 101 games as Blue Jacket and has an impressive 36 goals and 77 points, including 26 goals and 56 points in just 56 games between 2021-22. Laine has one of the best shots in hockey and has terrorized goalkeepers since his debut as a rookie in Winnipeg.

Prior to Gaudreau’s arrival, Laine was one of the few stars on the Blue Jackets roster, perhaps the only elite talent on the team other than defenders. Zach Werenski. With Gaudreau present, Laine has the opportunity to be part of an exciting team in Columbus that has the potential to become the most talented attacking lineup in the team’s history.

Portzline says that negotiations between Laine’s agent, Andy Scott, and the team remain “friendly,” and it appears Laine is genuinely interested in being a part of that high-potential future in Columbus.

There are no guarantees in the NHL and negotiations can always go sideways. But avoiding arbitration was an important first step in getting Laine locked up in Columbus for a long time. The deal he got isn’t likely to go any higher than the $9.75 million Gaudreau AAV is making, but a modest increase from Laine’s current $7.5 million cap won’t be. is not reasonable.

Blue Jackets really don’t have much room to do the Laine expansion, oddly enough, like CapFriendly group project there’s $2.3 million in the current cap space, which is sure to make any Laine extension very tight. Columbus may need to move a contract to allow enough room to fulfill Laine’s agreement, and Gustav Nyquist and Jakub Voracek may be their best option to move to get that space. However, with that said, in today’s limited world, freeing up space is as difficult and expensive as ever.





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