Columbus Blue Jackets' Pascal Vincent on 'embarrassing' Patrik Laine: 'I believe in the guy'
Nineteen games into the season, the Blue Jackets are at a critical crossroads.
After sitting out as a healthy scratch for the first time in his NHL career Sunday in Philadelphia, Patrik Laine isn’t thrilled with coach Pascal Vincent and the latter isn’t thrilled with his team’s performance amid a 4-11-4 start that led to the former sitting out.
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Laine wants to play his way out of his season-long struggles, which have bookended a nine-game absence with a concussion. Vincent wants the version of Laine who helped the Winnipeg Jets reach the Western Conference finals once. Essentially, both want the same thing while at a loggerheads on how to get there.
“It’s probably, over my career, the most embarrassing thing that’s happened to me, so I’m obviously not happy about that and I think they know that, but it is what it is,” Laine said Tuesday after practice. “It’s done and now we’re back, so I’ll just try to focus on playing.”
Vincent said that embarrassing feeling wasn’t the intention behind his decision to sit Laine and go with 11 forwards against the Philadelphia Flyers.
“I expect from him and all the players to respond like (men),” Vincent said. “I know he wasn’t happy. If he was happy today and he would say something different, I’d be disappointed. There is never a reason behind our decisions to embarrass any of our people. Ever. That’s not the point. So, we want (him) to respond like a man and play hard (Wednesday). That’s it.”
Trying to snap a nine-game winless skid that matches a franchise record, the Blue Jackets host the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday at Nationwide Arena. Laine will get back in the lineup at right wing on the second line, playing with rookies Dmitri Voronkov and center Adam Fantilli.
He doesn’t have to score a hat trick or even score a goal for the Blue Jackets to win. Laine must, however, figure out how to contribute positively when he’s not scoring goals.
During the Jackets’ 4-3 loss Saturday in Washington, a mere 22 hours before he was scratched, Laine committed two mistakes that each led to goals for the Capitals ― including a flubbed pass late in the third that turned into a breakaway goal that put the Jackets down two goals.
“If I knew how to get out of it right away, I would never struggle, first of all,” Laine said. “I’d be playing out of my mind every night, if I knew how to do that. I feel like right now it’s just trying to keep it simple, shoot some pucks and just, I mean … I think 'simple' is pretty much the key word here.”
Laine said he was “blindsided” by getting scratched. He also disagreed with Vincent’s stated intention of allowing him to take a game to breathe deeply, relax and refocus.
“If your confidence is not there, I don’t think you’re going to find it eating popcorn watching the game,” he said. “That’s my opinion. … I understand it also, like, guys that are (playing well), they’re playing, I get that. I’m not stupid. At the same time, if you want to get going, you’ve got to be out there. I can’t get confidence by drinking 'BioSteel' on the bench. I’m not crying about it, because I’m not in a position where I can complain about anything with the way I’ve been playing. But I just think that’s how I kind of see it.”
Vincent is looking through a much wider lens. Laine was just the latest star or veteran affected by his lineup decisions.
Johnny Gaudreau sat for long stretches of two third periods while he’s struggled to a slow start. Damon Severson sat for an entire third period in the third game of the season. Others have been scratched, and the Cleveland Monsters currently have Kent Johnson, Nick Blankenburg and Emil Bemstrom in their lineup, all three NHLers for most or all of last season.
Vincent is trying to move his team’s standards higher, which is what Mike Babcock was hired to do before his rifling through players’ cell phones led to an abrupt exit. It’s also what former coach Brad Larsen was accused of not doing enough last season.
Now, it's up to Blue Jackets players to respond, starting with Laine on Wednesday night.
“We’re trying to elevate our standards to, ‘This is what we do here,’ and whether you like it or not, that's what we do,” Vincent said. “When we bring a new player in, when we draft a player, when we trade for a player, when we claim a player on waivers ... when he’s going to come into our room, 'This is how we do things here.' The standards are there.”
They’re at a crossroads.
“We will weed out what happens," Vincent said. "Like, are you in or (are you) in the way? It’s either you’re a true Blue Jacket and you embrace those new standards or you don’t. And if you don’t, then you’re in the way. We’re in that stage.”
Which category does Laine fit? Tough to say at this point.
Asked if he felt the move might’ve been justified, based on performance, this is what he said:
“I mean, I’m not gonna start analyzing any of that, that much, because, honestly, I don’t know what I’m gonna say. I’ll just keep it at that, so I’m not going to say anything dumb. But you know, it’s up to them. I just play here and I play whenever they tell me, and I try to get ready for every day if I’m playing. And if I’m not, it just is what it is. We’ll just move on and focus on tomorrow.”
Asked if it helped to have the decision made by Vincent, a coach who has often stated his strong belief in Laine's ability, he said this:
“I don’t think it matters who it is, whether it’s 'Pazzy' or someone else that I don’t know that well. I would’ve said the same thing, that I’m not happy with this, I don’t think it’s fair. But it is what it is. I heard their side, they heard my side and, at the end of the day, they’re the ones making the call (on) who’s going to play. I just show up whenever they tell me to ... but that’s about it.”
Asked if he’ll be able to move forward without holding anything against Vincent, this is what Laine said:
“I mean, I hope so. That’s the plan, at least. I didn’t think I would see this day. I didn’t think so, if I’m being honest, but I guess it’s just something that happens sometimes. I’m just trying to move forward, work hard and get back to playing.”
Asked if Vincent making multiple tough lineup decisions was surprising, Laine said this:
“I mean, yeah and no. We’ve talked about it, that everybody’s equal here, like it should be. But I feel like you've got to keep up with that standard then ... if it happens to me, he’s got to hold everyone to the same standard, I guess. But I don’t mind it. Everybody’s equal here. It doesn’t matter how much money you make, how many years you’ve been in the league. Everybody’s getting treated the same, so I like that. He’s going to do whatever he feels is best for the team and it’s our job as players to respond.”
Ultimately, Laine’s actions will speak loudest. That holds for Gaudreau and the Blue Jackets as a whole. They’re at a crossroads, already, and what happens next could be critical to the Jackets' future.
“I believe that when you help people first, then the player becomes better,” Vincent said. “It goes hand in hand. We didn't try to embarrass anyone. We will never try to do that. That's not who I am as a person, anyway, but we're trying to help our people. And we felt, ‘Take a step back, take a deep breath. We need you. You’re important to our team.’ We’ll take care of Patrik first, and then ‘29’ will be better.”
He paused.
“I believe in the guy,” Vincent said. “If there’s somebody that believes in Patrik, it’s me … to a point where I’m willing to play him at center. I’m willing to give him those chances (to do) the things that he wants to do. But it’s got to be 50/50 at some point, right? And that's when it comes to ‘29’ and the coach. I believe this guy can come back and be a real dominant player for us now.”
If so, the Blue Jackets could trend upward in a hurry. If not, their wheels may continue to spin.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Blue Jackets facing key crossroads with 'embarrassed' Laine
